# Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986, Section 16: Presentation to benefices remaining vacant for 18 months.

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

(1) This section applies where a benefice becomes vacant and, at the end of the period of 18 months beginning with the start date specified in the notice under section 7(4), the bishop has not received—
(a) a notice of presentation under section 13(6), or
(b) if the bishop is the registered patron, an acceptance of any offer made by the bishop to collate a priest to the benefice.
(1A) The right of presentation to the benefice shall be exercisable by the bishop in accordance with this section.
(2) In calculating the period of 18 months mentioned in subsection (1) above, no account shall be taken of any of the following periods, that is to say—
(a) a period during which the decision of the bishop to refuse to approve the making to a priest of an offer to present him to a benefice is under review by an archbishop,
(b) a suspension period within the meaning of section 85 of the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011, or any period during which the benefice is vacant immediately before the declaration of a suspension period or between suspension periods, and
(c) a period during which the exercise of rights of presentation is restricted under section 38 or 87 of that Measure.
(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(5) Before deciding on the priest to whom an offer to be collated to the benefice is to be made, the bishop shall consult, the parish representatives and such other persons as he thinks fit, including other persons who in his opinion can also represent the views of the parishioners and, if during the period of 18 months mentioned in subsection (1) above the approval of... the parish representatives to the making of an offer to a priest by the registered patron of the vacant benefice has been refused under section 13 of this Measure, the bishop shall not make any offer to that priest under this section unless the consent of the parish representatives has been obtained.
(5A) Before the bishop has decided on the priest to whom an offer to be collated to the benefice is to be made, the parochial church council may resolve that the archbishop should instead make the decision; and where the parochial church council so resolves, the secretary to the council shall send a copy of the resolution to the archbishop.
(5B) Having received a copy of a resolution made under subsection (5A), the archbishop shall proceed to decide to whom an offer to be collated to the benefice is to be made; and once a priest accepts such an offer made by the archbishop, the archbishop shall send the bishop a notice presenting the priest to the bishop for admission to the benefice.
(6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukcm/1986/3/section/16 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/patronage-benefices-measure-1986/section-16
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.