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The Case of Bradford St. Swithins
This is a pseudonym for a well-to-do parish in the moderately
affluent suburbs of the metropolitan area. Its congregation will be
drawn largely from that group of professional classes which is probably
most able to handle routine business affairs, and to generate and act
upon sensible initiatives, supplying both the finance and the skills
necessary to carry them to fruition. It is also blessed - if that is
the right word - with a particularly lofty church, so lofty that it
occurred to someone to insert a mezzanine floor about half-way up,
thus reducing the expense of heating the main body of the church when
used for services, and providing a separate upper room which could be
used as a venue for social functions. The proposal was given prelimi-
nary approval by the Parochial Church Council, a surveyor was consulted
to see if it was technically possible, and his opinion being favourable,
an architect also to prepare for the necessary works. All was proceeding
nicely until the financial aspects were studied in some detail - and the
result rapidly stopped everything. It was obvious that the financial
outlay would exceed the parish's financial resources, notwithstanding
how large those might be, and that the potential savings on heating
would be insignificant by comparison. Had the parish really been able
to stop at that point they might well have come out sadder and wiser
but no worse in pocket, but unfortunately they were already committed
to the architect's bill in order to meet which they had to exhaust
their reserves, and were consequently unable to pay their parish share
for that year - a matter of considerable embarrassment all round. The
failure to undertake adequate capital investment appraisal was both
costly and on the face of it inexcusable - why then was it not done?
A chance remark made by the Diocesan Secretary may give an indication:
