Responses

This page gives responses to the Consultation listed in order of Area Meetings, Local Meetings and Trustees

• Area Meetings
• Download responses from local meetings and groups

 

Area Meetings

Minutes are reproduced below from Pickering & Hull AM, Brighouse West Yorkshire AM, Sheffield & Balby AM, Leeds AM, York AM, Craven & Keighley AM.

 

From Pickering & Hull AM at the meeting held on 10 January 2026
PHAQM/2026/11 Yorkshire Quakers – consultation on the constitution and other governance matters
We have received a consultation document and appendices from the Yorkshire Quaker Implementation Group about how the new charity should operate, particularly with a focus on financial and property management, the matters most relevant to local meetings. The documents also cover proposals for dealing with employment and safeguarding matters.

All seven Yorkshire area meetings have agreed in principle already to merge. As the current charities they are asked to respond to the documents. Local  meetings are also being asked to give their views as most of the day-to-day activities happen in local meetings and this process is underway. It is expected that a Memorandum of Understanding between Yorkshire Quakers and local meetings will be one outcome of the consultation.

In order for the implementation to take place in a timely way, area meetings and trustees are requested to provide feedback by 8 February. The Group suggests that we categorise our responses in three ways:
a. proposed elements which we are entirely comfortable with
b. proposed elements which we could support if adjusted as described
c. proposed elements which we are unable to support for now, but could be revisited post-merger as the new charity commences operation.
The document lists the proposals in 4 sections –
4. Background and vision
5. Finance proposals, including property income and costs
6. Property matters
7. Employment matters
8. Safeguarding of children and “at risk” adults

together with a separate document of appendices explaining the preferred arrangements for the new paid roles, governance set-up and management costs, fund-raising options, and a framework for shared property management.

These documents have already been circulated to our local meetings. Helen Rowlands, Paul Elliott and John Newton have helped us to understand better some of the elements in the document where we had some concern.

We are now able to say that we are prepared to accept the detail of these consultation documents, accepting that there will need to be adjustments as implementation and the continuing preparation continue.

We feel some excitement at the prospect of change which we hope will be an opportunity to rejuvenate and develop the spiritual life and witness of our Area Meeting. Consideration of this is already scheduled.

We feel that the balance between the charitable work of compliance and the decisions and activities that will remain with us in our local meetings is a good one, providing us with the professional and practical help and common procedures that will be needed.

We wish to express our gratitude to all of those Friends who have devoted time, experience and effort to make implementation happen and that has resulted in such an accessible document for us to consider. We look forward positively and in faith that between us we can make it work.

Brenda Rigby,
Co-clerk

 

EXTRACT FROM:
Minutes of Brighouse West Yorkshire Area Meeting
Sunday 11th January 2026 at 1.30pm, online

26.01.07: Yorkshire Quakers
ii. Yorkshire Quakers Consultation:
Following the agreement in principle to establish the Yorkshire Quakers CIO, the YQ
Implementation Group has circulated a further consultation document outlining proposals on “how a single charity should be run with the focus on the financial and property management...” The document includes proposals for employment and safeguarding - though it is noted that for the latter areas of responsibility, “…. we are obliged to follow legal and regulatory requirements….”

BWYAM forwarded the consultation to its constituent Local Meetings and to the 80+
individuals on the Area Meeting mailing list. Area Meeting received Minutes from 2 Local Meetings and feedback from several individuals. We are aware that some Friends have also been in direct contact with the Implementation Group.

We were advised early in the New Year that the Implementation Group had also arranged 2 online briefings in January. It is clear that neither today’s Area Meeting nor the online sessions are our last chance to comment on what is an evolving discernment.  

• Online briefing sessions: We encourage Friends to attend the online briefing sessions arranged by the Implementation Group on 13th and 22nd January.

• Broadly, we are comfortable with the proposals: We currently do not see anything with which we fundamentally disagree but may have further reflections on the questions posed as the proposals are further refined.

• Friends look forward to being involved: It is clear much detail needs to be thought through and we look forward to being part of that process during which we expect our understanding to become clearer.

• We recognise our responsibility to engage: We are aware of the need to ensure there is participation by LMs and AMs in the new Yorkshire Quakers. If they have not already done so, we encourage LMs to feedback to the Implementation Group.

• We appreciate the work that is being done on our behalf: We greatly appreciate the work and commitment to transparency shown by the implementation group and the recognition of the importance of local meetings. We thank them for their work and uphold them.

Notes – on questions/comments received from LMs and individual Friends:
• LMs that rent premises: We have been reassured that for those of us who rent, rather than own, premises:
“…. for purposes of the consultation, the rents are an essential running cost for the local meeting and that they will be paid from central funds. We have made it clear that there will be a Memorandum of Understanding between YQ and each LM. The MoU does not have to be the same for each meeting so if there are subtle differences, these can be reflected in the MoU.”
(David Olver, Clerk to Implementation Group, email correspondence with Rosemary Daley, January 2026)
• Restricted funds: One of the largest investment assets - at over £500k - is from what was originally the sale of the Halifax Meeting House. Over the last 30 years, since the sale of Halifax FMH, those assets have been restricted primarily for supporting Halifax Meeting and if not needed, for grants to other meetings in the area.
We have been advised that the YQ constitution specifically states that grants (including those awarded by other charities) given in support of concerns raised in a Local Meeting and supported by Area Meeting, can continue to be accepted and oversight will remain with the LM/AM.
We understand that in any transfer to the new CIO, the status quo will prevail as regards arrangements currently in place for rent and restricted funds.
• Funding options: One LM expressed preference for option 3, the hybrid model
(Consultation. Appendix, pg. 3).
• Lettings and property management and optimising usage/income: Feedback from a Friend indicates support for the involvement of Local Meetings in setting hire rates and discretion in applying reduced rates for good causes. We note Appendix 2 to the consultation document states that “Local Meetings would continue to propose local rates and rate increases. ”
• Staffing costs: A query on whether the proposed staffing levels are sufficient (particularly the Property Manager role which is proposed at 0.5FTE, but also perhaps the Safeguarding role at 0.4FTE) to cover the geographical area, properties, activities, and events? Where will role holders be based?

 

Sheffield & Balby Area Meeting 18th January 2026, 13.15 - 15.45 (Meeting for Worship for Business) At Nether Edge

7. Yorkshire Quakers

At our January 2025 meeting (minute 6) we considered the proposal to replace the current seven Area Meeting charities and the existing Quakers in Yorkshire charity with one Yorkshire wide charity. We asked the Yorkshire Quakers Implementation Group to provide full costings for the proposed charity. We said that, if we were satisfied that our Area Meeting’s cost could be met by Friends, we would “enter with hope” into the proposed merger.

At our September 2025 meeting (minute 7) we accepted the draft constitution for the proposed Yorkshire Quakers (YQ) charity and in November 2025 we appointed Digby Swift as one of its first seven trustees.

We have now received a set of consultation documents from the YQ Implementation Group. These include costings for the setting up and running of YQ. All our Local Meetings have considered this matter separately. Their minutes have been sent out in advance and are attached to these minutes together with the consultation papers.

We have also sent out, and attach, a paper which estimates the amounts our Meetings might need to contribute to YQ and another which summarises the financial picture in Yorkshire as at the end of 2024.

This is a question of equality. While our Area Meeting (AM) is currently coping and keeping costs below its income, other AMs in Yorkshire are struggling. We need to think about how Quakers thrive beyond our Area and support Friends in smaller rural Meetings as well as those in larger city ones.

We hope that being part of a charity with professional staff will provide a secure structure, and support, to help us run our local Meetings. Yearly Meeting is a good model of a charity run by volunteer trustees with paid professional staff.

Some of us are very concerned about whether we will be able to raise the funds needed to contribute to the charity. But experience tells us that Friends step up when funds are needed and we hope that YQ staff will be able to support us in fundraising.

We look forward to reducing the bureaucratic burden on Friends and leaving time and energy for Friends to focus on our spiritual lives.

Comments on the consultation papers are still very welcome.

We agree that we should work towards winding down our Area Meeting charity and transferring all its financial and physical assets and its statutory responsibilities to Yorkshire Quakers.

We thank all the Friends who have done an enormous amount of work to bring us to this point.

 

Leeds Area Quaker Meeting held on 4 February 2026

After some discussion and discernment about this issue, we forward the Minutes from Trustees and Local Meetings to the Implementation Group, alongside this Leeds Area Quaker Meeting Minute below from our LAQM held on 4 February, 2026.

There is a range of responses and various concerns are raised with regard to finance, and property, and the timetable in the discussions had so far at local level, as evidenced by the Minutes received from Trustees and Local Meetings. 

With regard to Area Meeting, there are many areas about which we need more clarification particularly with regard to financial contributions. At the moment LAQM makes a generous contribution to BYM and there is concern over whether or not this can be sustained.

Another concern is that the timetable is too speedy and that there is a serious need for more time so that various issues that are not clear can be worked out. However, there is an acknowledgment that this is an iterative process. While most of the Local Meetings in the Leeds Area are content with the principle of joining this new body, there is some strong apprehension particularly in our smaller Meetings. 

We have to be prepared for a detailed long and iterative process. When the detail is worked through, it is hoped that some of our major concerns can be resolved. We are mindful that much work has gone into this process and much remains to be done. We thank all those involved and continue to hold the Implementation Group in the Light. 

 

Special York Area Meeting 

held on Thursday 5 February 2026 on Zoom

Friends Attending: 21 with all LMs represented

2026/13 Consultation on Proposals for a new Yorkshire-wide Charity to be known as Yorkshire Quakers.

Further to minute 2026/7 York Area Meeting has received background papers and proposals for consultation on the setting up of the new Yorkshire Quakers Charity. Online consultations sessions were held on 13 and 22 January 2026. Local Business Meetings have considered this consultation and some have forwarded a direct response to the Implementation Group. 

There is broad support for the proposals, with reservations on implementation.

• We recognise the opportunity to focus more on spiritual matters and to relieve LMs of the burden of administration, including from the point of view of the increasing level of legislation and administrative demands in the modern world.
• It seems inevitable that a greater professionalisation of services will be needed.

We have concerns about size, communications and relationships between the new Charity and LMs, specifically:

• Given the geographical spread, the potential difficulties of communication across Yorkshire.
• We value for autonomy at local level, reflecting the communities served – e.g. the use of local companies for small works and services.
• There is concern about the complexity of the proposals and the time and effort needed both to implement and operate the new Charity.
• Centralisation is a definite worry for some Friends. Local initiatives must be supported.
• Will the voice and concerns of small meetings be heard?
• Will LMs feel disconnected from the new Charity?
• Will the engagement of members and attenders in LM affairs decline as their responsibilities are reduced?
• Could or should there be a role for Area Meetings in relation to communication between Yorkshire Quakers, Local Meetings and Britain Yearly Meeting? We would welcome a chance to explore this more fully.

We hear that the process of trust amalgamation may not be straightforward. As similar processes elsewhere show, it is important that we do not lose sight of the spiritual dimension of our work.

Our concerns about Finance are: 

• Whether or not the new charity will be viable. Is there a draft budget for its first year of operation?
• The additional annual cost of operation is estimated at £160k plus set-up costs of £35k. We are not clear how these costs will be funded.
• We hope that the costs of administration will not increase dramatically.
• What might be the impact on the total sum sent to BYM? We note practice in Bristol where 50% of funds go to BYM. Should this be our aspiration?
• There is a need for clarification over the use of unrestricted funds in combination with per capita funding.
• There is concern about the implications of per capita funding on Pastoral care and on the way meetings act as a local community.
• Illustrations of more worked examples might help meetings of different sizes to understand the impact on them.
• What are the implications for the holding of reserves at Area Meeting level?
• Could the per capita payment be made clear and added to section 5.3a?

Our concerns about Property are:

• It is proposed to appoint a Property Manager at 0.5 or 0.8 FTE (the appendix does not seem consistent on this). We find it difficult to see how this post (even if 0.8FTE and however experienced the postholder is) can take on all the tasks listed in the Paper and in Appendix 1, liaising directly with 38 LMs in respect of all their properties and burial grounds.
• We suggest that outsourcing be considered as an alternative to direct employment.
• Existing systems that work well – e.g. property booking - should not be jeopardised.
• The property value of the new body will be considerable. The property portfolio and requirements for maintenance will be sizeable. These call for careful assessment.
• We express our concerns about the burden of property that will fall under the Yorkshire Quaker Charity and our particular concern about property relating to small Meetings.

Our concerns about Staff are:

• Whether existing staff at LMs will feel engaged and committed to a structure where they hardly ever have contact with their line manager.
• Who will undertake annual appraisals, performance management and other functions of a ‘good employer’?
• We know that any changes affecting staff will pay due regard to the legal requirements for consultation.
• The real living wage must apply to all employees; 

We expressed our positive support for the Safeguarding proposals.

In conclusion Friends expressed their gratitude for the work that has been done by AM Trustees and the Implementation Group. We appreciate how they have endeavoured to work to their key principles shown at the beginning of their paper of a simple system, maintaining local engagement, future proofing Yorkshire Quaker witness and operating with openness transparency and clarity.

The responses from LBMs were summarised and, as augmented and amended, will be forwarded to the Clerk of the Implementation Group by 8 February 2026.

Margaret Bryan, Janet Dean 

Co-Clerks

5 February 2026

 

Craven & Keighley AM
from Minutes of Craven & Keighley Area Meeting held on 7 Feb 2026 at Keighley FMH, and on Zoom

2026/8 Substantive item, regarding the transfer to a single charity, Yorkshire Quakers: the consultation on how the new charity should operate

In January 2025 we agreed to commit Craven & Keighley AM to merge our charity into a single charity, Yorkshire Quakers, (minute 2025/10 refers.) In that minute we stated our support for the proposals, “with some caveats, including the opportunity of continuing involvement with the developing process”.

We have welcomed the recent consultation as one such opportunity, and Friends across the Area Meeting have been engaged with this process, including attending the two online sessions arranged by the Implementation Group, as well as giving a great deal of further time and attention to these matters.

We are grateful to having seen the results of these deliberations and for the care and attention given.

We support the general aims of simplification and reinvigoration at the heart of the merger envisaged in the proposals, whilst maintaining our focus on the best ways of supporting our own worshipping communities and our witness in the world.

We are aware of the challenges we face as a church because of our numbers and age profiles, and continue to uphold all those Friends engaged and involved directly in working through these proposals, as Quakers across Yorkshire, together, try to create a single Charitable Incorporated Organisation that is viable, sustainable, and that serves our needs in the best way possible.

We discerned the following points today, additional to those points already made by Local Meetings and Trustees, as we addressed the proposals:

1. We recognise that the Implementation Group will need to consider, respond to, and amend the proposals and that there is particular concern around the tension between the ‘commercial’ and our Quaker witness and values.
2. Safeguarding: our Safeguarding lead told us that she feels the roles and functions should be made clearer. Safeguarding as a principle needs to remain in Local Meetings but there needs to be more clarity about data protection, data storage and the role of DBS verifier. Our Trustee with responsibility for safeguarding and our Safeguarding Coordinator are happy to offer support to the Implementation Group.
3. The role of AMs will have to be explored by the Area Meetings themselves, as whilst in theory the new charity takes over the role of Trustees, there will always be an overlap.
4. There is a need for greater clarity on the proper functioning of the General Meeting for Yorkshire Quakers.

We continue to uphold with loving care all Friends who are directly involved, and giving a great deal of their time and effort to these deliberations and plans, and also uphold with loving care our own local meetings, as together we move through this period of great challenge and change.

We ask the Clerk to forward this minute to the Yorkshire Quakers Implementation Group