An independent review by the former attorney general Dominic Grieve into how one of the University of Oxford’s oldest colleges is run has recommended “significant” and wide-ranging changes to governance and disciplinary practices.
The review into the governance of Christ Church, Oxford was launched following the departure of its former dean, Martyn Percy, after a four-year battle to oust him over allegations of sexual harassment, which he strenuously denied. The theologian, who eventually left in April 2022 with a reported £1.2 million pay-off, claimed he was the victim of internal plotting by dons who opposed his efforts to modernise safeguarding practices.
The episode is estimated have cost Christ Church, which was founded in the 16th century by Henry VIII, more than £8 million in legal fees, investigations and pay-offs. Many critics have claimed the affair exposed the archaic nature of the college’s governance arrangements, which are entangled in the Church of England given Christ Church’s role as Oxford’s cathedral.
In the recommendations of his review – which is more than 142,000 words long – Mr Grieve says it is clear to him that “significant reform is necessary at Christ Church, and that it would be widely welcomed”. Recent events had been “traumatic and painful for many concerned”, he adds, and had “involved a long drawn-out and public breakdown in confidence between the last dean and the overwhelming majority of the governing body of Christ Church”.
