On 23rd April 2026, the House of Lords debated the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:
Votes: English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Tag: communities
Bishop of Southwark asks about community resilience planning
The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on inclusion of religious groups in planning for Local Resilience Forums on 16th April 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, guidance on emergency preparedness issued under the Civil Contingencies Act to the emergency responders who make up local resilience forums includes reference in chapter 14 to use of the voluntary sector. This is often assumed to be where the service provided is wholly or largely relevant to an emergency, such as that offered by Mountain Rescue, Samaritans or the Salvation Army. However, I notice that one local authority listed as an example of best practice includes the use of religious groups, presumably because of buildings and other services that they can provide. Might the Minister consider whether this warrants a discreet but distinct reference in a revision of the guidance?
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about community resilience planning”Bishop of Leicester asks about report on intra-community violence in Leicester
The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 13th April 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the 2022 Leicester violence, Better Together: Understanding the 2022 Violence in Leicester, published on 23 February.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about report on intra-community violence in Leicester”English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
The Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of amendments on the topic of community rights during a debate on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill on 26th March 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I think I have been cued in. I will speak to my Amendment 318A as—yes, still—the Bishop of Manchester. There is a vacancy in London, but I think I am too old to be considered.
Over the last 18 months, I have been chairing the Manchester Social Housing Commission. Central to our work has been the contributions that local residents and communities representing their neighbourhoods make to our thinking and, eventually, our recommendations. We have seen how empowered communities make a real difference. They are the people who know what it is like to live where they do. They can shape local services for the best results.
Far from being a problem for authorities to manage, communities continually demonstrate how they respond to the cost of living crisis or the epidemic of loneliness. People in communities are vital in driving their own solutions. As I go around my diocese, I see again and again how local people taking the initiative really make a difference.
Continue reading “English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill”Archbishop of York asks about implementation of new definition of Anti-Muslim Hostility
The Archbishop of York asked a question on the implementation of the new non-statutory definition of Anti-Muslim Hostility on 12th March 2026:
The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, it has been a great honour in the last few weeks to have been the guest at several iftar meals with the Muslim community in Yorkshire, where I am based. I know the noble Baroness mentioned the debate on Monday, but knowing how real Muslim hate crime is and hearing stories from Muslim neighbours just in the last few days, it would be good to hear more about how this is going to be implemented, because this is a definition not to sit on a shelf but to be used to help us become a more tolerant society.
Continue reading “Archbishop of York asks about implementation of new definition of Anti-Muslim Hostility”Crime and Policing Bill: Bishop of Norwich supports amendment on protecting war memorials
During a debate on the Crime and Policing Bill on 9th March 2026, the Bishop of Norwich spoke in support of an amendment aimed at broadening the protections provided to war memorials under the provisions of the bill:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I support Amendment 370 in the names of the noble Lords, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay and Lord Blencathra. Across this nation, war memorials, often raised by public subscription of pennies here and tuppences there, stand to hold memories of those who gave their lives—sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, cousins and parents. They are carved in stone, metal, wood or marble. The Whipsnade Tree Cathedral in Bedfordshire is a living memorial planted by Edmond Blyth, a World War I veteran, to commemorate his friends who were lost. They are physical embodiments of sacrifice, courage and collective memory, often within the curtilage of parish churches, each name both precious to someone and precious in the sight of God—ordinary people called to do the most extraordinary things in very challenging times. When they are damaged, it is a hit in the stomach for the whole of that community. It damages how we build our life together.
Continue reading “Crime and Policing Bill: Bishop of Norwich supports amendment on protecting war memorials”Bishop of Manchester asks about effective community policing
The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on ensuring effective neighbourhood and community policing during a discussion on the Police Reform White Paper on 3rd February 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I note that when the original Statement was made in the other place, it began and ended with a reference to Sir Robert Peel. In my capacity as the co-chair of the National Police Ethics Committee for England and Wales, I probably talk more about the Peelian principles than I ever thought I was going to do in earlier life. One of those essential principles is that policing is a civilian force: it is people, the citizenry, policing themselves.
Continue reading “Bishop of Manchester asks about effective community policing”Bishop of Manchester asks about affordable housing
The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on support for community land trusts and social housing initiatives during a discussion on the government’s new homes target on 8th January 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I am grateful for the answers that we have had, particularly around social rent and affordable rent. Does the Minister agree that we also need to make space for things such as community land trusts and other community-led social housing initiatives, which can often provide accommodation in particular niches and communities that is much more sensitive to the needs of local communities? They may not be volume builders, but I would urge that they have a vital part to play.
Continue reading “Bishop of Manchester asks about affordable housing”Bishop of Chester asks about family hubs and local organisations
The Bishop of Chester asked a question on relation of family hubs to local and voluntary groups in communities, during a conversation on supporting parents in raising young children on 5th January 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, can the Minister comment on the way in which these hubs will relate to voluntary groups? I warmly welcome the Question, which seems important, and the introduction of the hubs, but in an age when parenting can get increasingly lonely, the many voluntary groups that provide community are essential, if it takes a village to raise a child.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chester asks about family hubs and local organisations”Bishop of Derby asks about role of faith based philanthropy in social impact
The Bishop of Derby asked a question on engagement with faith-based charities and social organisations during a discussion on the new Office for the Impact Economy on 17th December 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I am pleased to endorse the Government’s intentional investment in social impact, but may I ask the Minister how the new Office for the Impact Economy plans specifically to engage with faith-based organisations and faith-motivated individuals, including—but not exclusively—from the Christian community, to optimise the reach for common good of such faith-driven philanthropy?
Continue reading “Bishop of Derby asks about role of faith based philanthropy in social impact”
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