THE proposal by Shipton-by-Beningbrough's Parochial Church Council (PCC) to allow installation of a Vodafone transmitter in the church spire has been subjected to every available scrutiny to ensure it meets the highest safety standards recommended nationally and endorsed centrally by the Church.

Certainly, if the installation had proceeded, the income generated would have released the parish from some of the burden of maintenance of its Victorian building. But while finance is important, it is not the only or indeed the main issue to consider.

The Diocese of York is committed to the care and safety of the entire community, and that is the issue of paramount importance both in terms of the reality and the perception of it.

Every parish in the Church Of England is self-governing, and while the legal processes in the diocese (and, it appears from your report on January 27, the district council) have agreed that the proposal meets all current legislative requirements, the final decision on whether to allow the transmitter to be installed rests with the PCC.

At a meeting with their neighbours in the village last week, arguments for and against the installation were heard by PCC members, and they faced a painfully difficult decision with long-term consequences whichever way they turned.

Their first consideration is the welfare of the people who live in the parish and their ability to serve them, and the diocese supported them as they determine the right way forward.

Your editorial statement that "church leaders opted for confrontation" (January 26) is a sad distortion of a process in which the members of Shipton's church council have sought only to fulfil the letter and the spirit of the law, as well as their first duty of caring service to those among whom they live.

Colin Sheppard,

Diocesan Secretary, Diocese of York, Aviator Court,

Clifton Moor, York.

Updated: 14:41 Wednesday, January 31, 2001