The Church of England has announced that the Rt Revd Peter Hancock, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, is to be the Church's new lead Bishop on Safeguarding. He will succeed the Rt Revd Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham, who has carried out the role for the last six years.

Bishop Peter will take up the role after the meeting of the General Synod in July of this year.

Bishop Paul said: "It has been a deep privilege to lead this work in the Church over the past six years during a time of transformation. The Church of England is making significant strides in its policies, training and resourcing of safeguarding and whilst we can never be complacent I am grateful for the work that has begun. We have a long way to go and there is still much more to be done.

"I am delighted that Bishop Peter will be leading the Church's work in this area from the summer. I remain committed to working towards us being a safer church and ensuring the Church of England is a place of safety and welcome for all."