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partly for want of sufficient staff, partly because there seems to be
a trait among dioceses to prefer local autonomy. We shall, in this
study, come to feel that if the central role of Church House could be
enhanced, then it could be of measurable benefit in improving
efficiency in the handling of the Church's business affairs. It
should however be made clear that the General Synod and Church House
on the one side and the Church Commissioners on the other are quite
separate entities. Whilst the former is the central administrative
organ, controlled by, and serving, the church itself, the latter is
a statutory body responsible only to Parliament. Whilst there is a
large degree of cooperation between the two, their legal positions
and status are distinct.
1.3
History and Organisation of the Diocese of Bradford
Established in 1920 under the Bishoprics of Bradford and
Coventry Act 1918, the chief unit of diocesan administration is the
Diocesan Synod which consists of 160 people, a few of whom are
ex-officio, but most of whom are elected by deaneries proportional to
the number of clergy and the registered church membership. It meets
at least three times per year and is largely a debating forum for
general policy. The executive body is known as the Bishop's Council
and consists of twenty-one members, five ex-officio and sixteen elected
by the synod. It holds plenary sessions at least six times per year,
but has subsidiary boards meeting more frequently. One of these, the
Diocesan Board of Finance containing some thirty members (some are
co-opted and some elected direct from deaneries) is the body responsible
for the routine conduct of diocesan financial affairs once general
policy has been established. In 1921 the Board of Finance was
incorporated under the Companies Acts 1908 to 1917 and therefore
publishes annual accounts. The Bishop heads the organisational structure,
