(1)The Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 (4 & 5 Eliz. 2 No. 3) is amended as follows.
(2)After section 3 there is inserted the following section—
(1)Subject to subsection (3), a parochial church council may enter into a paid contract of employment or other contract with one or more members of the council or one or more connected persons to provide such services to or on behalf of the Council as may be specified in the contract, provided that the conditions specified in subsection (2) are fulfilled.
(2)The conditions referred to in subsection (1) are that—
(a)before entering into the contract the council is satisfied that it would be in the best interests of the council for the services to be provided by the person concerned for the amount, or maximum amount, of remuneration set out in the contract;
(b)the total number of any persons employed at any time under subsection (1) and any person who is connected to any such person constitute a minority of the members of the council;
(c)the terms of the contract, including the remuneration paid, are set out in an agreement in writing between the council and the member concerned; and
(d)the amount or maximum amount of the remuneration does not exceed what is reasonable in the circumstances for the provision by that member of the services in question.
(3)Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply to services provided by a person in that person’s capacity as a member of the council.
(4)A person is a connected person for the purposes of this section if that person is—
(a)a child, parent, grandchild, brother or sister of a member of the council, or
(b)the spouse or civil partner of a member or of any person falling within paragraph (a),
and “connected” is to be construed accordingly.”.
(3)Section 7 shall become subsection (1) of that section and there is added the following subsection—
“(2)The objects referred to in subsection (1)(iv) may be determined either generally or by reference to particular occasions or occasions of a particular class.”.