Ecclesiastical & Charities
Roebucks have a niche practice in Ecclesiastical Law. This is a specialist service available to over 250 Parishes within the Blackburn Diocese of the Church of England. The range of work encompasses all aspects of Ecclesiastical Law, property transactions and advice to Church organisations, schools and charitable bodies.
Thomas Hoyle, the Partner heading up the Ecclesiastical Law Department is Diocesan Registrar and Legal Secretary to the Bishop of Blackburn. He is assisted by Partner Robert Hall and Consultant solicitor Kate Hamlin. Apart from property and charitable work, the team are experts on the Faculty Jurisdiction of the Church of England, Consistory Courts, the issue of Bishops Common Marriage Licences and Employment Law within the Church of England.
The Ecclesiastical Department also act for the Diocesan Board of Finance, the Diocesan Board for Education and the Dean and Chapter of Blackburn Cathedral.
Roebucks expertise is not limited to the Blackburn Diocese: on difficult Consistory Court cases within the Northern Province, the firm is often required to advise other Boards within other Dioceses.
More specifically, the Property and Charity arm of the Department deals with the following:-
- The sale, purchase or letting of Vicarages, Church Halls, Churchyards, Glebe Land, Pre-emption Agreements, freehold reversionary interests and advising on changes in Ecclesiastical Property Law.
- Sale of properties held on Charitable Trusts.
- Applications for Charity Commission Schemes.
- Deeds of Appointment of Charitable Trustees.
- Transfer of school sites and school site extensions from the Education Authority.
- Advising Church of England School Trustees and Governing bodies in the application of the School Sites Acts, the Education Acts and the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998.