SAVINGS of £250,000 have to be made in the Church of England Diocese of Ripon and Leeds if it is simply to break even, after it was revealed there are cash reserves for only six weeks.
The stark financial crisis was spelt out by the Archdeacon of Richmond the Venerable Ken Good and the Archdeacon of Leeds the Venerable John Oliver.
Churchwardens have been told that the diocese faces severe cash problems unless parishes pay their quota in full, following visits to deaneries across the diocese by the archdeacons.
If the gap between expenditure and income from parishes continues to increase there is a threat of less clergy. The annual cost of a parish priest is estimated at £30,000.
Archdeacon Good said if parish shares were less than £30,000 they were being subsidised by others.
"If you are not paying at least some of your parish share, on a monthly basis, you are now putting the diocese at risk in that staff expect to be paid monthly.
"And, as things stand, the diocese has cash reserves to cover about six weeks," he said.
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