I've had a number of calls asking me did I know anything about this chancel liability business before people starting getting sent these letters - and the short answer is no because this is the Whittlesford parish church doing this without telling anyone, not the local government doing this. I can understand how it's confusing but this is the parochial parish council of Whittlesford not the parish council doing this, or this district or county councils.
I've phoned the diocese of Ely and also the rural dean, and have spoken again this afternoon to them. I am expecting a call back from Mathew McDade who is the chancel repairs advisor/expert. I have made the point to them that this has left people confused and in some cases distressed and they need to understand this.
The diocese is the church area within which Whittlesford and all of the churches round here fall - in case you were wondering where it came in.
What I am trying to find out is whether these letters have been sent because of a mistake, which we all hope is the case, or not. The thing is that these church claims on land go back a long way, like hundreds of years.
It may be that the land on which Heathfield was build may have belonged to the Whittlesford church at one time - even though it is now part of Thriplow parish. I hope not and I know Martyn Corbet - the parish clerk in Thriplow - has been looking through some archives today to see if that can help.
In the meantime, I strongly recommend that Everyone who has received the letter fills in the form from the land registry objecting to this charge in their property.
All the best
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