Church lawyers are to review their advice to PCCs on Chancel Repair Liability (CRL), after the case in Broadway, Worcestershire, where the Charity Commission ruled that it would be “reasonable” for the parish not to register liability against 30 householders.
Under recent legislative changes, PCCs have just over a year to register CRL against affected properties; otherwise, the right to pass on the costs of repairs to a church’s chancel will lapse when such properties next change hands. But many clergy think that the ancient property right is unjust – especially where the land attracting the liability has moved from wealthy corporate landowners to unsuspecting private householders.
- More: Church Times