Mission & Outreach, and Managing Risk were High on Cathedral Chapter’s Agenda this Month

The Chapter – or Board of Trustees – of Wakefield Cathedral held their latest meeting on Wednesday February 26. Key agenda items included a ‘deep dive’ into mission and outreach, discussions of how we manage risk, as well as the usual in-depth discussions on finance and safeguarding, and review of regular reports from various committees and the senior management team.

As the board of trustees of the cathedral, the Chapter is responsible for overseeing the way the cathedral, which is also a registered charity, is run. The group of 12 trustees includes the Dean and residentiary canons, plus eight elected or appointed members. Our new residentiary canon, Erik Peeters was warmly welcomed to his first Chapter meeting.

Canon Philip Hobday led Chapter members through a process of reviewing all the individuals and groups with whom the cathedral has connections, beyond our congregation and immediate cathedral community. The list turned out to be a long one, illustrating just how much externally-facing missional work we are involved with.

One of the key roles of a trustee body is to anticipate any major risks the organisation might face, and ensure procedures are in place to mitigate and, when necessary, handle such risks. The cathedral team is currently developing a new ‘risk register’ to identify possible risks. Chapter members considered possible risks around financial sustainability, safeguarding and risks associated with vacancies in senior clergy and staff positions.

A review of cathedral finances revealed that, while 2024 ended with a better outturn than at first envisaged, the accounts are nevertheless likely to show a deficit of some £12,000. The budget for the current year foresees a much more substantial deficit, however.

“We have budgeted conservatively,” explained Dean Simon. “For example, we’ve not included any income that would at this stage be purely speculative. However, it will be essential that we keep up the momentum with events and other income-generating activities.”

Three committees that advise Chapter all presented reports to the meeting. In addition to reporting on the current financial picture, the Finance Committee, chaired by Canon Mrs Alison Dean, is taking action to review how the cathedral’s limited investments are managed and to ensure that all restricted funds are used for the purposed they are intended.  Reporting from the Risk & Audit Committee focussed on preparations for the audit of the 2024 accounts, while the chair of the Nominations Committee, Canon Danny Wilks, presented thoughts on how new chapter members would be recruited, as well as a look at any training needs for chapter.

Mention was of course, made of the Dean’s retirement in July. The process of appointing a new dean is a matter for the diocesan Bishop and is a national – rather than a cathedral – process. Bishop Nick is due to meet with Chapter on April 9.