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The leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats said she let survivors of abuse down when she took six months to arrange a meeting to discuss a historic case against a bishop. Jane Dodds came under pressure from her own UK party leader Ed Davey last year when criticisms of her conduct at the Church of England re-emerged last November. In an interview with Radio Wales Breakfast, the Member of the Senedd (MS) reiterated an earlier apology but could not remember why the meeting to discuss an abuse case was not arranged.
Dodds was criticised in a report that looked at abuse committed by the late Bishop Hubert Victor Whitsey, who died in 1987, and how allegations were handled by the church. Whitsey was found to have committed “appalling acts” against children, teenagers, and vulnerable adults between 1966 and 1981. In 2016 Dodds was serving as National Senior Casework Manager for the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Team (NST). In January 2016, Dodds had said she would convene a meeting of officials to discuss allegations made by an individual known as M2. The meeting did not take place until six months later, in July.
The report said the NST had failed to follow guidance to hold a meeting regarding allegations by M2 within “as short a delay as possible”, and that M2 was “let down” by the NST as well as having been let down by the church “for many years previously”. Investigators were unable to speak to Dodds during the course of their work. In response to their findings she admitted “clear shortcomings” but could not recall the case. The report was published in 2020 but Dodds’ involvement was not widely known until it was reported by news website Nation.Cymru in late 2024.
Dodds, who is the party’s only MS and represents Mid and West Wales, apologised, but refused to resign. The Liberal Democrat is currently playing a crucial role for the Welsh government, having been in discussions with Labour ministers on whether to help their budget pass. A deal is yet to be agreed.
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