General Synod Election Candidates 2026

I worship at St Michael at the North
Gate in central Oxford (where I was
previously a Churchwarden). I was
until recently Lay Chairman of the
Oxford Deanery—probably one of
the most theologically diverse in the
Church of England.
It has been my privilege to serve
you as a member of General Synod
since 2000, since when I have
attended every meeting, speaking
frequently in debates on a range of
subjects, and seeking to bring a
distinctive and independent voice. I
believe that the Synod is at its best
when it values integrity over
conformism, and thoughtfulness
over emotionalism.
I am currently a central member of
the Crown Nominations
Commission (which nominates
Diocesan bishops)—a position to
which I was elected from the
General Synod.
I would describe my
churchmanship as central and
traditionally Anglican, a perspective
which is surprisingly
underrepresented on the General
Synod.
I am a Director of Save The Parish.
From 2006 to 2020 I was Chairman
of the Prayer Book Society (for
which I received an MBE in 2022).
I am a graduate of Merton College,
Oxford, and have previously worked
as an administrator in the NHS, and
in IT. For the past two years I was
my mother’s full-time carer, until
her death in June this year.
The heart of the Church of England
I firmly believe that Parish Churches are the beating heart of
the Church of England, and its primary ‘engines of mission’.
Through direct personal contact with local clergy and
congregations—the ‘cure of souls’—the message of Christ’s
Gospel is brought to the people and the love of God reaches
out into the community every day. This is where the real
work of the Church is done: not by committees, Synods, and
advisors, whether at National or Diocesan level.
I will continue to campaign for Church Commissioners’
funds to be restored to their original purpose of supporting
Parish ministry. Following the 2018 lifting of statutory
restrictions on the use of that money, almost all of it has
been directed into central grants for strategic projects
(which often don’t succeed in their aims)—while day-to-day
support for clergy stipends has been withdrawn. Dioceses
are pushed into wasting significant energy and resources
putting together detailed bids for grants (which may then
be rejected by National Church bureaucrats).
Since this grant system began, the majority of Dioceses are
facing spiralling deficits, and are cutting clergy to try and
stay in the black. Whilst Oxford is not yet in that position, the
Diocesan Board of Finance has warned us that we could be
next. Meanwhile, the Church Commissioners are sitting on
an endowment fund worth £11.6 billion (and growing). This
situation is outrageous, absurd and unsustainable.
At the same time, clergy and congregations are increasingly
struggling to meet Parish Share demands, with nothing left
to support their work locally. While central resources and
energy are put into new initiatives, the daily round of
parochial ministry is squeezed. Meanwhile, well over 100
staff are based in the Diocese’s corporate-style office block.
All of them are listed on the Diocesan website: judge for
yourself how many of these are really needed.
PRUDENCE DAILEY
[email protected]
07730 516620
9 Spring Lane
Littlemore
Oxford OX4 6LF
MBE
The Parish Church:
I will work for a Church that prioritizes
Parish ministry, enabling Parishes to
keep more of their own resources and
freeing them for mission within their
own local context, whilst honouring
Parish clergy, lay ministers, and the
many
volunteers
without
whose
tireless
dedication
our
Parish
Churches could not function.

Mission in a changing cultural context
The Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) remains the official doctrinal standard of the Church of England,
and has shaped the theology and spirituality of Anglicanism for over 450 years. A lifelong devotee of
the BCP, I have been encouraged and heartened to see a renewal of interest in it in recent years. I have
witnessed this in my own church—St Michael at the North Gate, a BCP church in central Oxford—
where the congregation has markedly both increased in numbers and decreased in average age, and I
am committed to promoting the use of the BCP within the ‘mixed ecology’ of worship.
‘No’ to Project Spire
The Church of England seems determined to press ahead with Project Spire—its £100 million
‘reparative justice initiative’ to atone for its claimed profit from the transatlantic slave trade over 300
years ago—amidst ongoing wrangling about whether the Church Commissioners’ funds can legally be
used in that way. The Church has consistently refused to engage with research questioning whether it
actually ever did profit financially from slavery, and has turned a blind eye to mounting opposition from
the pews. It is time to drop the whole scheme, and to stop apologising for our history.
‘No’ to Net Zero
The General Synod has committed the Church of England overall to a target of net zero carbon
emissions by 2030. This is consuming huge sums of money across the Church of England—the
National Church has a well-staffed Net Zero Programme Office, and Diocese of Oxford alone has
already committed over £10m to its net zero programme—and making life more difficult and
expensive for already hard-pressed Parishes, especially when they need to replace church boilers.
Even were net zero to be achieved across the Church of England—or even the whole of the UK as a
nation—it would have no measurable effect on global temperatures. In the face of large and growing
CO₂ emissions from countries like China and India as they continue to industrialise, realistic solutions to
anthropogenic climate change can only be technological and market driven. Meanwhile, climate
virtue-signalling by the Church of England is expensive and pointless: I have spoken out about this in
the General Synod and will, if re-elected, continue to do so.
Upholding Biblical truth on life, death, sex and marriage
I will continue to support the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, and I welcome the
Church of England’s clear opposition to assisted dying. Caring for my beloved mother as she became
increasingly frail in both mind and body encouraged me to reflect on her fear of being a burden—and
the reality that we are all, in fact, intended to be burdens to one another. Despite its compassionate
motivations, doctor-assisted suicide would have unavoidable unintended consequences in
undermining how we value and care for those who are suffering or can no longer take care of
themselves: this is witnessed in countries around the world where it has been introduced.
I support the Church’s current teaching on marriage and sexuality, while regretting the way in which
debate has so often appeared to focus almost exclusively on same-sex relationships, overlooking wider
societal confusion and brokenness around sex and relationships. We are all broken, all loved by God
and all welcome.
Over the past 60 years, England has become increasingly secular, with religious observance decreasing
across the Western world, and the Church of England has faced the spiritual and financial
consequences of ageing and declining congregations. Now, for the first time in decades, we seem to
be on the cusp of change, with the green shoots of a renewed interest in Christianity beginning to
appear in the wider culture. Even if claims of a ‘quiet revival’ across the whole Church have been
questioned, something new is happening in many of our churches—including among young men, a
group who have traditionally been significantly underrepresented in our churches. The Church of
England needs to be ready to understand and welcome them.
More than ever, we need to take seriously Christ’s Great Commission—to go out and make disciples—
and His Great Commandment—to love God and love our neighbour. We must continue to nurture the
discipleship of existing worshippers, recognising that spiritual growth matters as much as numerical
growth. We must reach out to people of all ages in new ways, learning from ‘success stories’ across the
Church, whilst avoiding any temptation towards forever seeking novelty in preference to tradition.

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