Nineteen candidates from the Diocese of West Yorkshire & the Dales have been elected to serve on the Church of England’s General Synod, the church’s national governing body, for the next five years.
The results have been announced by the returning officer, Joint Diocesan Secretary, Ashley Ellis
A total of thirty nine candidates stood for the nine lay places and ten clergy places on General Synod, the highest representation of any diocese in the country except London.
Elected by fellow clergy, the following have been chosen as the ten ‘Proctors in Convocation’ (clergy) to serve on General Synod:
The Revd Paul Ayers, the Revd Paul Cartwright, the Revd Canon Jonathan Clark, the Revd Canon Robert Cooper, the Ven Dr Anne Dawtry, the Revd Canon Kathryn Fitzsimmons, the Revd Canon Ruth Hind, the Revd Canon Joyce Jones, the Revd Canon Margaret McLean, and the Revd Gary Waddington.
Elected by lay members of Deanery Synods, the following have been elected to fill the nine places allocated to the diocese in the House of Laity:
David Ashton, Alison Mary Fisher, Malcolm Keith Halliday, Joyce Margaret Hill, Stephen William Hogg, Camilla Mary Rose Holmes, Zahida Bibi Mallard, Richard John Mantle and Paul Neville.
In total 255 clergy voted for the clergy places, 48% of the electorate, and 410 Deanery Synod lay members voted for the House of Laity members, 41% of the electorate.
The new term of General Synod will be inaugurated by Her Majesty the Queen at the start of its first three day meeting - being held from November 23-25 at Church House Westminster.
Read fulll details of the election results and more about the winning candidates on our General Synod pages here