Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018

47 Archdeacon’s power to require inspection of church

(1) This section applies where an archdeacon finds on a survey of the churches of his or her jurisdiction, or at any other time, that a church in the archdeaconry or a relevant article in a church in the archdeaconry has not been inspected to his or her satisfaction by a qualified person for at least five years.

(2) The archdeacon may serve on the PCC of the parish in which the church is situated a written notice requiring the PCC to cause the church or relevant article to be inspected in accordance with the scheme referred to in section 45.

(3) A relevant article, in relation to a church, is a movable article in the church which the archdeacon, after consultation with the advisory committee, considers to be—

(a) of outstanding architectural, artistic, historical or archaeological value,

(b) of significant monetary value, or

(c) at special risk of being stolen or damaged.

(4) At any time after the expiry of three months beginning with the date of service of a notice under subsection (2), if the church or relevant article has not in the meantime been inspected as mentioned in subsection (1), the archdeacon may, with the consent of the bishop of the diocese concerned, make arrangements for the inspection and report required by the scheme referred to in section 45 to be done.

(5) Where a church or relevant article is inspected under arrangements made under subsection (4), the cost of the inspection as certified by the archdeacon must be paid out of the fund established by the scheme referred to in section 45 (see subsection (2)(a) of that section).

(6) A notice under subsection (2) may be served by sending it by post—

(a) in a registered letter addressed to the secretary of the PCC by his or her name at his or her usual or last-known address, or

(b) if the secretary’s name or residence is not known, in a registered letter addressed to the secretary by that title at the usual or last-known address of the incumbent of the parish.

(7) “Qualified person” has the meaning given in section 45.