Congratulations to St Peter' Langtoft for being the first church in our Diocese to take the plunge and submit a faculty petition using the new online system! The petition was submitted by the Revd Jacki Tonkin and churchwarden Gill Ullyott.

The Online Faculty System, for which a pilot launched in the Dioceses of Truro and Leicester in December 2014, was made available to other dioceses in February. As use of the system is still in its early stages, it seems sensible for us to have a phased implementation, so we will be accepting faculty applications online initially just for minor uncontentious works. So, if you wish to submit your application online, please phone or email Catherine Copp beforehand so that we can discuss whether your proposal is suitable for an online submission.

Any PCC using the System will need to nominate a member with good internet access to act as their Registered Applicant. Clear and detailed guidance on the registration process, including an illustrated user manual for parishes, is provided via the Online Faculty System website. As the user manuals provided are so comprehensive we do not anticipate that a training programme will be necessary; the manuals contain clear instructions and screenshots, and the system is quite intuitive.

We are aware that some rural parishes will struggle with adequate internet access, so the online system will work alongside the existing paper system for the foreseeable future.If you have any problems or queries, please do not hesitate to contact: Catherine Copp, Administrative Assistant to the DAC (Tel: 01904 699522 or email: catherine.copp@yorkdiocese.org).