MEMBERS of the congregation of a church threatened with closure yesterday vowed to fight the proposal.

All Saints' Church, in North Street, York, is one of six in the city recommended for redundancy in a new report by the Archbishop of York's Commission on pastoral provision for the city and the surrounding area.

Church warden Dr Robert Richards said: "We think the commission has made a mistake. All Saints' is by no means a drain on the finances of the diocese. We are largely self-sufficient and over the last 30 years have spent £500,000 on maintaining the building."

He said that All Saints', a 13th Century Grade I-listed building, was not suitable to be anything other than a church.

Other churches recommended for redundancy include St Helen's, Holy Trinity and St Martin-cum-Gregory, St Laurence's, and St Chad's.

The Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, will meet the Deanery Synod on September 25 to discuss the proposals.