Senior cleric who left the Church in Wales under a cloud lands £70k job

Martin Shipton

Questions are being asked about how a former senior Church in Wales cleric who left amid concerns about potential misspending managed to get a top job at a Cambridge college.

Sion Rhys Evans was on gardening leave for 10 months from his joint roles as Sub-Dean of Bangor and Diocesan Secretary before his departure was announced in Bangor Cathedral on December 29 2024.

His resignation as Diocesan Secretary was filed at Companies House on February 20 2025.

A source in the Bangor Diocese was in St Deiniol’s Cathedral when the announcement about his departure was made from the pulpit. The source told us: “It was very noticeable that not a word of thanks was uttered as the announcement was made.”

Now, however, the cleric who had been seen as a protégé of Archbishop of Wales Andy John, has been appointed Bursar and General Manager of Westminster College, Cambridge.

‘Judgement’

Nation.Cymru reported in June 2024 how questions were being raised about the judgement of the Archbishop after the emergence of concerns relating to potential financial irregularities in his home diocese of Bangor.

Several Church in Wales sources had contacted us independently to criticise the Archbishop for creating a situation where one cleric was effectively running both the diocese of Bangor and its cathedral. His period of gardening leave began on February 29 2024.

We were told that the Archbishop’s decision to let Rev Rhys Evans hold both his roles simultaneously had created a conflict of interest, with large sums of money being spent in potential breach of their charitable purpose.

We were also told that Rev Rhys Evans was on gardening leave because of a complaint made about him concerning an unrelated matter.

Rev Rhys Evans was appointed diocesan secretary of Bangor in 2013, several years before he was ordained as a priest. That put him in charge of administering the diocese – in effect he was chief executive. He could do that job without needing to be a priest.

Then in 2020 he was ordained as a priest, having completed the required training – and a year later he was made Sub-Dean of St Deiniol’s Cathedral in Bangor. We have been told that some eyebrows in the diocese were raised when the Archbishop made the appointment so soon after Canon Rhys Evans was ordained.

Although as Sub-Dean he was able to run the Cathedral, he was unable to be called the Dean because only clerics who have been ordained priests for at least six years can hold such a title.

‘Unusual’

A Church in Wales source told us when we first reported the concerns: “It is unusual and perhaps inadvisable for one individual to hold both posts. It raises governance concerns. Both the diocese and the cathedral are registered charities and therefore regulated by the Charity Commission.

“Concerns have been raised about the use of charity money to make major purchases for the cathedral, including a new set of pews at a cost of around £235,000. The suggestion is that the correct procedures may not have been followed when decisions were made about spending the money, and that pots of money were accessed which perhaps shouldn’t have been.

“The governance arrangements are clearly compromised by having one person wearing two hats, and the Archbishop should be open about why he thought that was a good idea.

“It may be argued that the chapter [which technically runs the cathedral with the Sub-Dean] was responsible for making decisions, but most of the members are priests who have little expertise in financial matters, especially those of some complexity.

“The spending of charity funds over which there is a question mark exceeds the amount that should trigger an investigation by the Charity Commission. Yet the matter hasn’t been reported to the Charity Commission.”

During his time at the Cathedral, Canon Rhys Evans became well known for his flamboyant wearing of Church vestments – a taste that was often commented upon by those who met and observed him.

A terse statement appeared on the Diocese of Bangor’s website at the time of his departure, stating: “Canon Siôn Rhys Evans is leaving his roles as Diocesan Secretary and Sub-Dean.”

United Reformed Church

In his new position as Bursar and General Manager at Westminster College, Cambridge – which trains ministers for the United Reformed Church – is paid between £65,000 and £70,000. The role is multi-faceted and includes financial planning.

We wrote to the Principal of Westminster College, Rev Dr Peter McEnhill, stating: “We have been made aware that Sion Rhys Evans is now the Bursar of Westminster College.

“Was the College aware that he had left the Diocese of Bangor under a cloud?

“When did he apply for the Bursarship and when did he take up his duties? Did he disclose that he was under investigation by the Diocese? Did he receive a reference from the Diocese or anyone else in the Church in Wales, and if so, who provided it?”

We sent the Principal two articles published by Nation.Cymru.

Dr McEnhill did not respond to our questions.

We asked Archbishop Andy John whether anyone from the Diocese had provided Rev Rhys Evans with a reference, but he declined to comment.

A source in the Bangor Diocese said: “This whole matter of Sion Rhys Evans’ departure has been shrouded in secrecy. Given the circumstances, it seems extraordinary that he has landed a highly paid job in Cambridge. Surely the Archbishop should say whether he or anyone else in the Diocese gave Sion Rhys Evans a reference, and if so what was said.”