The Commission was grateful for a paper from the Archbishops of
Canterbury and York, setting the scene for its work. The paper
commented on the Commission's duty of review as follows:
"In a small number of cases reviewing boundaries will
necessarily open up questions over the future number of dioceses in
that area. Subject to that however, it must be doubtful whether a
wide-ranging review of the number and distribution of dioceses will
be the best way forward, at least in the early years of the
Commission.
It may be that, rather than starting by a theoretical review
of the optimum size and distribution of dioceses across the
country, the Commission will want to explore specifically what will
best serve the future mission of the Church in one or more areas
where present arrangements are clearly problematic and then see
whether some wider lessons can be drawn."
The Commission's initial review programme was announced on 29
January 2009. The full press release may be found on the media
centre pages by clicking here.
Dioceses of Ely and Peterborough - City of
Peterborough
The Commission has been considering the City of Peterborough and
its relationship to, and impact on, the boundaries of the dioceses
of Ely and Peterborough, given that about a third of the City is
located in the Ely Diocese. To view further details click here.
Yorkshire Dioceses
In the autumn of 2009 the Commission commenced a review of the
boundaries of the five Yorkshire dioceses (Bradford, Ripon and
Leeds, Sheffield, Wakefield and York). Further details are
available by clicking here.