Details have emerged for the first time about financial irregularities associated with a senior cleric who was a protégé of the Archbishop of Wales, Andy John.
The departure of Siôn Rhys Evans as both Sub-Dean of Bangor Cathedral and Bangor’s Diocesan Secretary has previously been unexplained, with Church in Wales officials refusing to answer questions about it.
He had been on gardening leave for 10 months when an announcement that he was leaving was made in Bangor’s St Deiniol 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 the cathedral when the announcement about Siôn Rhys Evans’ departure was made from the pulpit. They told us: “It was very noticeable that not a word of thanks was uttered as the announcement was made.”
Now Nation.Cymru is able to reveal that irregular payments totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds were made on the watch of Siôn Rhys Evans and ultimately the Archbishop of Wales, who is also the Bishop of Bangor and lead trustee for the Diocesan charity.
Safeguarding
On May 13 the Archbishop issued a statement following the publication of two reports that revealed serious safeguarding issues in the Diocese, including inappropriate sexual behaviour, that had made people feel unsafe. The Diocese had been put into “special measures” with a view to eliminating such toxicity.
The statement said that a number of Serious Incident Reports had been made to the Charity Commission about safeguarding and financial issues, but no further details were given.
A source in the Bangor Diocese has since told us: “There has been serious concern about the way Diocesan funds were spent during the period when Siôn Rhys Evans was in charge.
“Some £418,000 was spent without proper authority on furnishings including new pews, a new altar, choir stalls, ‘credence tables’ [on which communion wine and other items rest during services], and stackable chairs. There was inadequate consultation and information about this spending, and the money came from Diocesan funds instead of the cathedral.
“Another area of concern was spending totalling around £20,000 on one trip to Dublin and two trips to Rome, the first of which was a ‘recce’ for Siôn Rhys Evans and some colleagues and the second of which involved a larger party, with air fares, hotel accommodation, food and alcoholic drinks paid for with a Diocesan credit card.”
Questions
We put a number of questions to the Church in Wales: “We have been told that on February 8 this year Archbishop Andy John wrote to the Charity Commission to draw attention to the fact that financial records relating to the spending of Diocesan / Cathedral money were incomplete.
“We have also been told that at the time he was sent on gardening leave, Siôn Rhys Evans was allowed access to computer records. Subsequently it came to light that among financial records missing were Church credit card statements.
“One of the areas of concern is the cost of three trips – one to Dublin and two to Rome – costing a total of around £20k.
“What can you tell us about these matters?”
A spokesperson from Bangor Cathedral said: “On February 6, in response to information received, the Charity Commission wrote to the Bangor Diocesan Trust with advice to Trustees on a number of issues. The letter did not require a response from Trustees, though the issues have been addressed.
“Siôn Rhys Evans had no access to computer records while he was away from his duties. The financial records and credit card statements have now been reconciled.”
Serious Incident Report
Responding to the question about the trips to Dublin and Rome, the spokesperson said: “This formed part of a Serious Incident Report made by the Archbishop of Wales to the Charity Commission on July 17 2024 relating to Bangor Diocesan Board of Finance.
“The report noted that the finances for these Choir visits had come from the Diocesan funds rather than from the Cathedral’s. He then undertook a series of actions to correct the issues which he had reported, and, after confirming these with the Charity Commission (March 31 2025), the Serious Incident was then closed by them. The Dean and Chapter have agreed to pay back funds spent by the Diocese which should have been borne by them.”
A source in the Bangor Diocese said: “This is the first time any details have been released about these matters. The lack of transparency from the Archbishop has been shocking.
“He is essentially the leading Trustee of a registered charity responsible for Diocesan funds, and he has a responsibility to ensure that funds were spent properly. He has failed to do so. The correspondence with the Charity Commission should be published.
“I have been told that Siôn Rhys Evans was given access to the Diocesan / Cathedral Dropbox account at the time when he went on gardening leave, rather than to his email and other systems. The two are separate.”
Westminster College
Since leaving the Diocese and the cathedral, Siôn Rhys Evans has been appointed to the role of Bursar and General Manager at Westminster College, Cambridge on a salary of up to £70,000.
The college trains people to be ministers in the United Reform Church. Siôn Rhys Evans’ role is multi-faceted and includes financial planning.
Neither the Diocese of Bangor nor Westminster College will say whether he was given a reference by the Archbishop, who has faced calls for his resignation over the saga.