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Hello and welcome to The Edition. The Spectator's weekly look at some of the most

intriguing and important issues within the week's magazine. I'm Lara Prendergast.

In this episode, we take a look at whether Britain's churches are being devastated by bureaucracy and mismanagement.

Plus, what's the real story behind the UK's vaccination efforts?

And finally, we look at whether a stubborn union has stopped firefighters from helping with the COVID response.

First up, a recent story in the Sunday Times revealed drastic cost-cutting plans from the Church

of England. In this week's cover piece, Emma Thompson, a Chelmsford church volunteer of over 20

years, says the proposals would see the disbandment of the precious parish network and the devastation of communities right across the country.

To discuss, she joins me now along with the Reverend Marcus Walker,

rector of the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great,

who also writes about the subject in this piece magazine.

Emma, in your cover piece this week,

you write about plans that have been revealed to disband

the parish network. Can you start by telling listeners what exactly seems to be going on?

Well, as I understand it, the proposal is that a huge fall in the parish giving has prompted the management of the C of E to equate that to needing to cut parish clergy.

The fall in giving is seen as meaning that we have to have fewer vickers.

It sort of creates a climate of anxiety and fear, which feels as anathema.

We should be exploring other things that could be done because I think the feeling that people have

during the pandemic is that they've missed the church, they've turned to the church, they wanted

...