Dioceses will be better placed to meet financial challenges in 2012 after the Archbishops' Council cut its request for funding next year by £0.5 million. The Council has decided to request the same overall level of funding for its work in 2012 as in 2011, rather than the 1.8 per cent increase approved by the General Synod in July.

Although dioceses have already set their 2012 budgets, the resulting saving of £0.5 million will help dioceses meet other financial challenges whilst enabling the Council to meet all the commitments made when its budget was approved by General Synod in July.

The General Synod approved the Archbishops' Council's 2012 budget in July and an apportionment (funding request) to dioceses of £28.65 million (see http://www.churchofengland.org/media/1281161/gs%201842.pdf), £498,700 (1.8%) above the 2011 level. This was within the financial framework for 2010-2015 set by the Council and approved by General Synod in July 2009.

It has been possible to reduce the request to dioceses as the current forecast for the Council's expenditure in 2011 and 2012 is now less than when the 2012 budget was approved. The forecast savings compared with the original budgets are partly for ordination training in 2011/12 and partly in staff and accommodation costs for work done at national level as the Council continues to implement its financial strategy.

The Council's reserves are well placed to meet any expenditure over and above the apportionment request should the need arise. A revised apportionment table has been issued to dioceses.

Notes

The Council is partway through a financial strategy for 2010-2015. (see http://www.churchofengland.org/media/39668/gs1731.pdf).  Under this framework, the Council aims to deliver a budget with apportionment increases of no more than 0.5% below inflation in 2011-2012 and no more than inflation in 2013-2015. To date these targets have been exceeded.

The objects of the Archbishops' Council are "to co-ordinate, promote, aid and further the work and mission of the Church of England". Its objectives are:

• (A)    To enhance the Church's mission by:
    (A1)  promoting spiritual and numerical growth (11% of 2012 budget)
    (A2)  enabling and supporting the worshipping Church and encouraging and promoting new ways of being Church (6% of 2012 budget)
    (A3)  engaging with issues of social justice and environmental stewardship (5% of 2012 budget)
• (B)    To sustain and advance the Church's work in education, lifelong learning and discipleship (6% of 2012 budget)
• (C)    To enable the Church to select, train and resource people, both ordained and lay, to carry out public ministry and to encourage lay people in their vocation to the world (66% of 2012 budget).
  • (D)    To encourage the maintenance and development of the inherited fabric of Church buildings for worship and service to the community (6% of 2012 budget).