General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Telephone: (01702) 472 611
[email protected]

Neil Dalley
VICAR of
SAINT ALBAN’S WESTCLIFF &
SAINT MARK’S SOUTHEND

Proposed by: The Reverend Canon Jane Richards, Diocesan Lead
Advisor for Training.
Seconded by: The Reverend Marion Williams, Rector of All Saints,
Cranham.

I have always been someone who speaks up if I don't think things are right. I don't like moaning on the
sidelines. I believe that I can be a strong advocate for clergy colleagues and highlight our concerns
proactively, being honest about the challenges we face whilst looking for practical and realistic solutions.
All done with a prayerful heart, keen to re-focus on Gospel priorities for the Church and a desire to keep
listening to what Jesus wants from his Church.

What do I bring:

▪ Knowledge of the current vocations climate as a Bishops’ Advisor in the discernment process.
▪ Knowledge of the stresses and strains facing ordinary clergy as a Diocesan Reviewer for MDR.
▪ Elected to Diocesan Synod in 2024 where I have spoken in debates and asked questions about vocations,
Parish Share, and finance in the Diocese.
▪ Ecumenical involvement through the Inclusive Church group in our area.
▪ Nearly a decade as a School Governor in local community schools. Currently vice-chair.
▪ Experience as a Churchwarden before ordination including during a difficult interregnum.
▪ Leadership experience in secular work where I managed a large team of staff in the UK and Europe.
▪ Someone who can listen and reason but also has clear ideas of my own based on a good knowledge of the
Church. I am willing to collaborate for the best outcomes.
▪ Someone who is not fearful of speaking out and is willing to speak truth to power.
▪ A passion for the Gospel, preaching several times a week at our daily Eucharist.

What are the issues that concern me?

Clergy Wellbeing
I would like to see firmer steps taken to support the wellbeing of clergy in terms of national commitments.
It has been a privilege to serve as a diocesan reviewer for MDRs and progress is good in Chelmsford but
nationally there needs to be an end to judging clergy by narrow statistics of success and instead looking at
deeper impact. I support the proposal from Save the Parish for a “Charter of Care” for clergy.
About Me:
I’m Vicar of a parish with two churches in urban Southend. We are a relatively deprived area – the eighth
most deprived in the Bradwell Area – made up of a transient population with a complex variety of needs.
We encounter homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction on a weekly basis. I have been a member of the
Church of England all my life growing up in a village in Northamptonshire. I have been exposed to a wide
variety of traditions in the Church but see myself in the Inclusive Catholic tradition today with a heart for
parish ministry focused on the celebration of the sacraments, the preaching of the Gospel, and pastoral
care. After a career as an academic librarian and library systems specialist I trained for ministry at the
College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, and was ordained in the Diocese of Chelmsford. I am a professed
member of the Third Order Society of Saint Francis and currently serve for them as an Area Minister.

Vocations and Training
➢ We need a renewed commitment to rich theological training
and priestly formation with increased investment in both part-time
courses and residential theological colleges. I am concerned that
our current utilitarian approach is discouraging vocations. My
thoughts come from having been a Bishops’ Advisor since 2019.
➢ I believe that full-time training should be available to those who
would benefit from it, not rationed to a narrow age gap. I was able
to train full-time in my 40s, which is no longer normally possible
unless you are wealthy enough to pay for it yourself.
➢ We need theology and formation to support better evangelism yet
many of our renowned theological colleges are threatened with
closure because of lack of investment.

Parishes and Finance
➢ I want to see the Church Commissioners funds restored to
their founding purposes of supporting stipendiary parish clergy.
Flourishing parish ministry is at the heart of our mission and this
realignment will help reduce Parish Share demands so that local
giving can be focused on spreading the Gospel.
➢ I want to see the Lowest Income Communities Fund further
increased. I am very concerned about the diminishment of parish
ministry in poorer communities. In the Bradwell Area deprived
parishes have seen a disproportionate reduction in clergy
deployment. Nationally, church closures have affected poor
parishes the most. Our mission is for all, not just the wealthy.
➢ I would like us to reassess the time and money invested in the
processes behind SMMIB funding. My parish has benefited from
both SDF and SMMIB funding, on a very small scale, which has given
me an inside knowledge of the wasteful processes behind it.
Increasing numbers of admin roles, both in the diocese and in
Church House, run the economy of bids and supporting documents
and ongoing reports. We have created an “internal market” that
seems very alien to a scriptural understanding of the Church.

Lay volunteers
➢ I believe that General Synod should be more wary of
overburdening struggling volunteers with things that sound
good but bring heavy financial and administrative demands.
➢ I agree with Save the Parish that the church needs to be clearer
about what are legal obligations and things that are “good to
have”. I know how difficult it is to recruit volunteers with the skills
to navigate the heavy demands placed upon them through current
regulations. We want our volunteers to be able to focus on being
Church and sharing the Gospel not endless administration.

Safeguarding
As Safeguarding Governor in my local school I get to see modern
safeguarding from a secular perspective as well as in church and, therefore, I fully support the moves towards
greater independence for safeguarding in the Church. But I want us to be realistic about what can be
expected from parish volunteers in terms of burgeoning administration over real safety. I am also conscious
of the increasing use of safeguarding for political ends by some groups which distracts from the real needs of
victims. In our move towards independence, we must also be wary not to create a new unaccountable
organisation that cannot ever be answerable to the reality of parish life.

I would be very glad to have your first or high preference vote in the election.
Please do get in touch if you’d like to discuss something further. Thank you!
Inclusion is important
to me
I believe inclusion is a Gospel
imperative. My parish is a
member of Inclusive Church and I
have seen first-hand how our
passion for inclusion has grown
disciples and brought together a
wide-range of people. I do not
see inclusion as meaning I only
want to be with people who
agree with me, rather to be a
space to welcome a variety of
views where people respect
each other. I am committed
to equality for everyone, at
all levels and roles within the
church, regardless of disability,
economic power, ethnicity, sex,
gender identity, learning
disability, mental health,
neurodiversity, or sexuality.

It is a great joy to be part of a
ministry team that currently
includes four women priests.
We have also been able to
recruit and support our
LGBTQ+ Chaplain in the parish
which was the first such full-
time role in the Church. I look
forward to seeing LGBTQ+
people fully included and
celebrated in our church life.

Whilst understanding our
recent focus on children and
young people our calling as a
Church is to everyone. We
must not ignore the elderly, the
troubled, the unloved and the
unlovely people who are all part
of our parishes. I believe that
this is what Jesus wants for his
Church and that inclusion is at
the heart of our calling.

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