Winchester Cathedral denies it broke Church rules
NewsWe reported on Friday that Winchester Cathedral has hastily appointed Andrew Lucas as Interim Director of Music, replacing the ousted Andrew Lumsden who is leaving at the end of July. Lucas, a credible candidate, has been Master of the Music at St Albans Cathedral since 1998.
However, only one candidate was shortlisted and interviewed in apparent contravention of the CofE’s Safer Recruitment policy (relevant paras below) and no musician was on the selection panel.
UPDATE: David Hill, music director of the Bach Choir, tweets: The decision by @WinCathedral to appoint a person, about to retire, in place of a person who was promised it and then removed is deeply bewildering as it is disgracefully insulting. Ironically they have the same initials. Wishing the new AL good luck in avoiding bullying!
We have now received a partial denial from Canon Alison Evans, COO of Winchester Cathedral. Canon Evans writes:
In the interest of transparency, we have provided further information so you are aware of the facts around the appointment.
False statement: “However, only one candidate was shortlisted and interviewed in apparent contravention of the CofE’s Safer Recruitment policy (relevant paras below) and no musician was on the selection panel.”
Facts:
There were a total of nine applicants, from which three candidates were shortlisted and interviewed based on clear proof and experience of their musicianship and leadership of cathedral music on their CV.
The recent recruitment process, which led to the appointment of Andrew Lucas as Interim Director of Music, was conducted in adherence to the Church of England’s Safer Recruitment policy. The fact that Andrew Lucas, as an esteemed and experienced Cathedral musician and Director of Music, was selected is a testament to the robustness of this process, which was overseen and recorded by the Cathedral’s HR.
The role specification, against which all applicants were assessed, was meticulously crafted with the input of experienced Cathedral musicians. The essential criteria included being a fellow of the Royal College of Organists, or equivalent, and having significant experience in leading Cathedral music. This ensured that only the highest calibre musicians were considered for the role.
The interviews were held with a panel of three people from Winchester Cathedral who were all safer recruitment trained and had the relevant expertise to interview and assess the candidate’s competence for the role.
The Winchester Cathedral’s Recruitment Policy follows the Church of England Safer Recruitment guidelines, it does not specify whether interviews are held online or face to face. The scope of the guidance referred to in your article says “This guidance is intended to sit alongside and work in conjunction with Human Resources (HR) policies and procedures that may already be in place within the Church body, (whether at a parish, diocesan or NCI level).” – Scope of the Safer Recruitment and People Management Guidance | The Church of England. When considering a pool of applicants, including some who are living overseas, we sometimes use online interviews, supplemented by robust employment and safeguarding checks to ensure that the appropriate safe-guarding assessments have taken place and to verify the identity of the individual.
Following the process, all candidates were invited to contact the Cathedral for feedback if they wished to do so.
Canon Evans fails to address two significant criticisms – that the post was not properly adverstised and that no musician was present on the selection panel. Nor does it address gthe most signific ant shortcoming – that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) were applied to dismissed staff, including the director of music, in direct contravention of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s instruc tions.
The situation at Winchester is far from sunny.
Here are the clauses referred to above:
There is nothing in the quoted paragraphs that has been breached, according to what has been written. Where it talks of a “panel of a [sic] least two”, that is clearly referring to the interviewers, not interviewees, as the information following my quote makes crystal clear.”
Except they only interviewed and shortlisted one candidate…there were other applicants, apparently, despite the fact it was an obvious stitch-up.
Private Eye reported it was an online interview…and the interviewing panel had no musician on it so nobody with any expertise in either choral direction or organ playing. Keep up!
It was very obvious that the outcome had been decided before advertising, hence the closing date. But there being only candidate interviewed does not, in itself, breach the quoted requirements, still less does it breach the Safer Recruitment guidelines.
I wasn’t aware that it was alleged that the interview had been conducted online, which wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the article above.
Given who was appointed, how much expertise is “appropriate” to know of his competence in role?
Whilst there is a distinctly fishy smell attached to the whole proceedings, this article is digging very deep to find technicalities, most of which haven’t been breached.
Another flawed and incorrect interview against employment procedure.
UK Cathedrals are getting quite adept in appointing many of their DoM’s in this shoddy and against usual employment practise.
Nothing new here, just another long line of flawed appointment procedure.
The Cathedral COO says they interviewed 3 candidates. If, actually, they only interviewed 1, then they are lying. Do we know for sure it was only 1? If so, a third member of chapter (COO) joins the other 2 under the microscope. Can this be proved?
Quite aside from this, why was it conducted over Zoom? This goes against CofE protocols it seems – St. Albans is not overseas and is not the epicentre of a Covid outbreak as far as I know.
And why on earth is Andrew Lucas taking this on? He was about to ride off into the sunset but has now decided to enter a hornets’ nest. By doing so, is he condoning the alleged actions of the D and C against one of his fellow cathedral musicians…l
“…possess the appropriate expertise…”
“….possess the appropriate expertise to assess the candidate’s competence in the role.“
There were no musicians on the interview panel.
I understand the interview was conducted over zoom.
Given who was appointed, how much expertise is “appropriate” to assess his competence in role?
Er … so everyone who has done a job for a very long time in a particular field in a particular placeis automatically competent to do the same job in another place, yes? That is your logic??
The panels self appointed to interview prospective DoM’s in UK Cathedrals are usually flawed and rarely include any impartiality or musician of calibre – partucularly when it’s the Dean or Precentor who make the hapless decision to appoint.
It’s nothing to do with musicianship or ability but all to do with if they think you’ll fit in and not rock the boat and be a yes man to their incompetent low church liturgy.
To take you through the three examples quoted here of a failure to do the safer recruitment process (a disciplinary matter):
1: there was no application form – a cv was requested in the application details but this is not deemed appropriate on its own. Therefore the standardised application forms demanded by the CofE recruitment policies, to which cathedrals are bound, were not used to determine a shortlist.
2. The interviews were held on the same day as shortlisting was meant to happen so it’s clear they weren’t in person from that alone. It was also reported in Private Eye, and I think it’s fair for NL to assume this can be used as a basis for reporting.
3. Nobody with musical expertise was on the panel. None of the clergy at Winchester have any musical training or experience.
Far from being minor technicalities, these are a few of the rules broken with regard to safer recruitment. Breaching this is considered misconduct by the CofE and is taken seriously as it is a tool in safeguarding children and vulnerable people from being appointed to positions that give them power over and access to those groups. This is nothing to do with Andrew Lucas, it is an important part of doing things correctly and safely in an educational environment.
Not children and vulnerable people being appointed… People being appointed to positions of authority over them!
Exactly right. The process has to be robust and the church has worked hard to get this in place.
Will they blame NL and Slipped Disk for this too?
Should they?
Interesting that the advert for the new sub-organist is out today. It specifically says that they will be reporting to the Precentor NOT the DoM.
Strangely flat management structure with the fox explicitly in charge of the hen house. What could possibly go wrong?
Totally agree. The only mitigation I can think of is that this is in place whilst the DoM is interim and that that changes with the appointment of the permanent successor?
What a mess. It can all be done within the rules and law, but still not morally right. I have a lot of time for David Hill too.
The speed with which interview followed closing date makes it very difficult to comply with safer recruitment. Also for such an important appt you would expect some contact with the musicians any applicant would be in charge of. I don’t think that occurred.
Given that they very clearly knew exactly who would be appointed before advertising (and it was known far more widely, too), it was entirely possible to conduct safer recruitment fully before appointing. The appointment announcement was made some little while after the closing date, which would be normal to allow for such procedures, anyway.
Not if it was interview by zoom. CofE safer recruitment training is very specific about the kind of questioning that should take place. I’m sure that there is no issue but the process is there to protect everyone and provide confidence, especially to those parents of choristers, both boys and girls. Any deviation from the process is serious.
What is it about Cathedrals and their seeming inability to have a successful and settled music dept? The current debacle at Wakefield Cathedral choir continues to destroy the love of singing and the joy of choristers. Bullying and shouting and false accusations by a DoM should have no place in a Cathedral choir. People leave, and are.
Surely the majority of Cathedrals in the UK do have successful and settled music departments? The Winchesters, Llandaffs, Wakefields, Bradfords, and Sheffields (prior to the appointment of the current staff tea) are a small, if significant, number when looking at the overall picture.
But given the influential nature of the church, especially on young people, they should all be striving to be their best and do their best, not revel in being toxic and damaging.
Do you really mean this? It’s not the DofM doing the bullying and shouting, or is it?
Yes
No.
I’m afraid you are incorrect here Francesca – the allegations of bullying at Winchester are against the Precentor, not the Director of Music (who, it is alledged, is actually the victim – well, one of a number actually).
We all know that Winchester Cathedral has special exemption from any rules and regulations on appointments, disciplinary procedures etc so why any surprise at their despicable actions?
The D&C think they are untouchable and can, and will do what they want, without any consultation or regard for the anyone or anything.
I await my fate and exclusion from the Cathedral and removal from the community roll but will not be silenced.
Well said Fred!
Sadly, the Dean’s & Chapters think themselves above usual employment procedure and law simply because they are ordained and consider themselves nearer to God.
Someone in authority (maybe their diocese solicitors) need to remind them of their mortal status and their requirement to comply with correct employment procedure and employment law.
Had this always been the case, many incompetent church musicians wouldn’t have slipped through the net and been wrongly appointed in the first place.
However, here at Winchester, the clergy are stupidly pushing out one of the most respected church musicians in this country.
It speaks volumes of the age old clergy disrespect towards those who share the responsibility of providing interesting and stimulating church worship.
Sadly. these days, too many senior church clergy are so self absorbed in their own career and importance that they fail to cherish and nurture their fellow colleagues – non ordained musicians who bring to services their unique and skillful contributions.
Jealousy from such clerics is a vile and unchristian attitude, but in many senior clergy (particularly female deans and bishops) it is now sadly evident, as the case here at Winchester and other UK Cathedrals of late.
Such doings rarely existed when priests were men only.
I would not set foot in the place with the current Dean in place.
Of course, the Cathedral have tried to be very clever with this and seem to have got away with it. Andrew Lucas has an excellent track record and (by coincidence) he is just retiring from a long tenure at St Albans. I can’t think of anyone else suitably placed (although a certain ‘SD’ was asked and flatly declined). Any younger person would risk career suicide for such a short ‘interim’ appointment. Job done. The Dean and Precentor will now just want to focus on moving forward. The real challenge is who comes next as the permanent replacement. Will Andrew Lucas have any part in steering the Dean and Precentor through the ‘job description’ and recuitment process ? If not, will they have a ‘consultant’ (heaven knows who would do it) to ‘validate’ their appointment process ? Much as I would like to see the Precentor dismissed, as every week passes I think he is riding out the storm. The upcoming Southern Cathedrals Festival should be interesting / uncomfortable depending who you are.
They appear to be a law unto themselves. I am very perplexed at the lack of comment from Church House on this sorry saga.
Purely out of interest, has Mr Lucas been in touch with Dr Lumsden to discuss programming and services? I’d put a quid of my pension in a charity box, that he’s been told NOT to. Mind you, I’m just a cynical old sausage nowadays…
Especially as it’s possible that the September term Choir diary may actually have already been set, far earlier than usual. If so, who set it, and when? Are Boys and Girls then receiving equal opportunities for the term? After all, it would seem to be a little soon after the announcement of Andrew Lucas’ appointment, when the poor man won’t have even had a chance to meet his Choirs, let alone to have assessed the resources at his disposal.
Hmmmm
Canon Evans is so disingenuous with the truth. It is not so much what she says but what she doesn’t say. The three people on the selection panel could have been
Dean
Precentor
COO
All meet the HR and safe guarding requirements but knowledge of music ?
Why do COO’s also become canons? Surely there are are alternative lay people who would not be influenced by a substantial wage packet.
When will be the last occasion on which Andrew Lumsden plays the organ in Winchester Cathedral? I would like to attend to express my support for him and for other victims of the regime, and the abhorrence I feel towards that regime.
I’m afraid it was yesterday afternoon. He’s mostly Director of Music, and therefore we don’t hear him play so much. You can hear his recital by going to the cathedral website and taking the link to the Cathedral Channel, where the link is still live.
Enjoy it.
I’d suggest that anyone who can possibly go, you should attend evensong on Sunday 14th July at 3.30pm. I reckon Andy might play the final voluntary. It is the final service concluding the Southern Cathedrals Festival and, of course, will be his last act as Winchester Cathedral’s DoM. Whilst being able to listen to one of the world’s finest organ-playing exponents, it might give all those who truly appreciate this great man’s abilities and passion for everything that he has done for Winchester Cathedral over the last 22 years an opportunity to show Andy just how highly regarded he is by those who really know about Cathedral music (and how important it should be to the life of a once-great establishment). Dare I say it, a rousing send-off would speak volumes – to all…
This whole Winchester thing comes down to whomever wickedly decided that lack of transparency with regard to Andrew Lumsden’s leaving was a good thing. Once you lie and obfuscate, it becomes easier and easier. No one in the world believes or trust these people now because they lack transparency.
Andy Lumsden is conducting The Waynflete Singers on July 6th at New Hall, Winchester College. It would be great to see as many people as possible there to support him. The concert includes The Westside Story Choral Suite and Brahms Liebeslieder.