20% of staff furloughed

Explaining the decision, Diocesan Secretary David Pain said:

"We are all undergoing significant upheaval due to coronavirus. This has the potential to cause substantial and sustained disruption to the finances and work of the diocese and the business of the Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF).

"While we are all working to make the best of the new opportunities created in the life of the Church, we are also taking measures to reduce expenditure wherever possible.

"In this context the Diocesan Finance Committee, acting for the trustees of the DBF, has supported my decision to place 11 colleagues on furlough from this week to the end of May. This is within the terms of the government Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which will fund 80% of the salaries of these posts for this period."

David said he was "grateful to all staff involved in accepting this arrangement and to those remaining for the knock on effects to our wider work."

He added:

"Our Diocesan Board of Education has also furloughed 6 of their 17 staff. Other dioceses are making similar arrangements."

"If you are seeking to make contact with one of those now on furlough, you will find an out of office message directing you to a relevant colleague; alternatively please feel free to email parishsupport@salisbury.anglican.org and we will seek to pick up work as effectively as possible.

"Thank you for your patience given the inevitable disruption this will cause."