|TOP|The Bishop of Hulme, Rev Stephen Lowe has succeeded Rev Tim Stevens, the Bishop of Leicester, as the Chairman of the Urban Bishops Panel, the Church of England has reported.

The Urban Bishops Panel is a committee of the House of Bishops that act as a point of reference for issues affecting urban communities in England.

Bishop Lowe has ministered in urban areas in Birmingham and Chelmsford Dioceses before becoming Archdeacon of Sheffield and, in 1999, Bishop of Hulme in the Diocese of Manchester.

Lowe is also a Church Commissioner and has been a trustee of the Church Urban Fund.

|AD|In the past two years Bishop Lowe has been a member of the Commission on Urban Life and Faith, a group set up to consider the challenges facing the church in today’s towns and cities.

The Bishop has expressed his expectation to take a leading part as the Church of England considers the Commission’s report, due to be published in May, and the implications of its findings.

Bishop Lowe commented: “This is an exciting time to take on this responsibility. I look forward to supporting this vital part of the Churches presence and witness in our nation.”