Two major Church of England charities have been hit with unprecedented official warnings from the charity watchdog for serious failures in how they handled allegations against a former bishop accused of sexual misconduct.
Unprecedented Regulatory Action
The Charity Commission has issued its first-ever official warnings to Church of England dioceses, targeting the Diocesan Boards of Finance for Liverpool and Chelmsford. The regulator found that both charities failed to properly deal with safeguarding allegations against John Perumbalath, who stepped down as Bishop of Liverpool in 2025.
Perumbalath resigned without any admission of fault or liability after allegations emerged from two women. One complainant alleged he repeatedly kissed her without consent and groped her, while another accused him of sexual harassment. The second complainant was later identified as the then-Bishop of Warrington, Beverley Mason, who resigned in September 2025 stating, "A bishop cannot be above the law."
Systemic Failures and Mismanagement
The Commission concluded that failings in handling the allegations "amount to mismanagement in the administration of the two charities." It found that in both instances, trustees who knew of the claims failed to take appropriate action due to a lack of procedures.
For the Chelmsford charity, there was a "failure ongoing over a period of about two years" to report a serious incident relating to a January 2023 complaint about Perumbalath's conduct when he was Bishop of Bradwell. The Liverpool trustees were found to have "failed to consider or investigate" a complaint and did not act in the charity's best interests to protect people from harm.
David Holdsworth, Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, stated: "Lack of appropriate policies and procedures led to a failure to ensure that serious allegations against a senior figure were properly considered by the relevant trustee bodies."
Mixed Responses and Ongoing Reforms
The Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis-Dehqani, and the diocesan safeguarding officer issued a joint statement expressing disappointment with the warning, which they called "disproportionate," and respectfully disagreeing with some conclusions. They maintained their response had been "robust and survivor-led" but committed to working with the regulator to improve procedures.
In contrast, trustees for the Liverpool charity accepted the Commission's findings, apologised for the shortcomings, and confirmed they have already made changes to strengthen reporting and governance. The Church of England nationally said it takes "very seriously" any recommendation from a regulatory body.
John Perumbalath has consistently denied all allegations against him. In a January 2025 statement, he said, "Whilst I don't believe I have done anything wrong, I have taken seriously the lessons learnt through this process addressing how my actions can be perceived by others." The warnings come during a period of significant turmoil for the Church over safeguarding, which previously contributed to Justin Welby's resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury.
