General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England, commonly referred to as the Church’s Parliament. Together with the Westminster Parliament, it is the only body in the land which is entitled to make national law for England. Synod considers and approves legislation affecting the whole of the Church of England, authorises new forms of worship, debates matters of religious and public interest, and approves the annual budget for the work of the Church at national level.
Members of General Synod are arranged into three Houses: the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy (all ordained members, excluding bishops), and the House of Laity, the lay (not ordained) members from every diocese of the Church of England. Members of the Houses of Clergy and Laity are elected by the clergy and lay members respectively of the Deanery Synods (Link to Deanery Synod - Diocese of Chichester). Chichester has been allocated six clergy seats (+1) and seven laity seats (-1).
Voters and Candidates
For information about who qualifies as a voter and who can stand for election please follow this link.
Voting ended on 13 October 2026 and the count was conducted electronically by Civica Election Services using the Single Transferable Vote Rules. The results sheets can be found below. Thank you to all those that took the time to apply, it is much appreciated.
Congratulations to all newly elected representatives, and thank you to all who offered their time, expertise and experience in service of the Church in this way.
The results of the General Synod 2026 – 2031 quinquennium elections are as follows:
House of Clergy
(Clicking on a name will open their election address in a new window)
View the results sheet here or results table here.
House of Laity
(Clicking on a name will open their election address in a new window)
- Martin Auton-Lloyd
- Lucy Barr-Hamilton
- Mark Binney
- Bob Chambers
- Simon Eyre
- Gillian Howarth
- Bradley Smith
View the results sheet here or results table here.