The Church of England faced further turmoil last night after the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, was urged to resign over his handling of abuse cases.

The request comes after CofE leader Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was forced to resign last week over a cover-up in a child abuse scandal.

Archbishop Cottrell, the CofE’s second most senior staff member, is accused of “ignoring” 11 separate complaints, some involving senior Church figures, including bishops.

In a devastating intervention, Ms Jasvinder Sanghera, who chaired an independent body investigating abuses in the CofE, said she had repeatedly raised concerns with Archbishop Cottrell, 66, but claimed he had let victims “in the wild”. She claims in an interview with The Mail on Sunday that she had a similar response from Mr Welby, 68.

She said: “I sat down with both archbishops and poured out my heart, saying we need help. It went unheard – they chose to look away.

“The real currency of leadership is transparency and trust. Unfortunately,

Stephen (Cottrell) didn’t demonstrate with the survivors either.

“I think resignation is the most appropriate thing to do.”

Last week, some clerics warned that others may have to quit and called for “institutional changes”.

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, the CofE’s second most senior figure, is accused of “ignoring” 11 separate complaints, some involving senior Church figures.

The Church of England is engulfed in controversy following scandalous revelations about its failure to properly deal with allegations of sexual abuse by members

But father-of-three Archbishop Cottrell tried to draw a line, suggesting Mr Welby’s decision was enough “because he resigned because of institutional failings”.

As chief solicitor of the Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB) and with three decades of work with victims of abuse, Dame Jasvinder, 59, reviewed cases rejected by the Church.

She dismissed some cases that “didn’t meet our threshold” – but 12 from the 1980s to the early 2000s were considered strong.

Between January 2022 and June 2023, she said she repeatedly pressed Mr Welby and Archbishop Cottrell to take action, but only one case was reopened.

She said: “Every time we tried to get them to listen, we were ignored. There are people who are still there who have to answer.

“There were sexual, physical and emotional accusations as well as harassment, intimidation and many went to the Church for a protective response and to be let down. It’s about victims and survivors and doing the right thing. These victims are still waiting for closure and compensation.

— Some of their complaints are against very high bishops.

In an email in July, she told Archbishop Cottrell and Mr Welby of her fear that some victims are so traumatized they “may not survive another year without support”. But she added: “Every time we have tried to support the needs of the victims, it has not been well received. It was awful.

One of the 11 alleged victims whose cases were “ignored” told The Mail on Sunday she can no longer live in Britain because of the abuse she suffered as a teenager in the 1980s and now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder -traumatic (PTSD).

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, resigned earlier this week after it emerged he failed to hand over serial killer John Smyth to authorities in 2013.

Justin Welby initially assumed the role of Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013

In 2012, he told the Church about his abuse and asked for the help of the national safeguarding team.

He said, “There are people in the Church who want to destroy us because we embarrass them.

“It is embarrassing to say that I was a teenager and was sexually abused by a bishop. I wanted the ISB to establish the truth of what I was saying so that no one else would suffer.

“I wanted to help stop the cycle of cruelty at the highest levels of the Church, and that would come through an independent examination of the facts.

“The more you put a lid on it, the bigger the smell when it’s open.”

In June 2023, Ms Jasvinder was removed from her position by the Council of Archbishops, chaired by Mr Welby and Archbishop Cottrell.

The board said “fundamental communication” problems were to blame, but Dame Jasvinder claimed her independence was undermined when the Church appointed its candidate as ISB president.

Despite losing her job, Dame Jasvinder continues to act for alleged abusers. She also represents the alleged victims of Mohamed Al-Fayed’s sexual abuse at Harrods.

A spokeswoman for the Archbishop of York last night denied it had “ignored” the cases.

She said: “The Archbishop has always taken safeguarding seriously, particularly his commitment to victims and survivors, and he commends Ms Jasvinder’s work in this important area.

“But it is not true to say that these victims and survivors have been ‘ignored’.

“He believes that the future of Church defense needs independent structures and oversight, while ensuring that it remains the responsibility of all.

“The Archbishop deeply regrets the impact on victims of the disbanding of the ISB, which was a decision taken collectively by the Council of Archbishops. This was due to a breakdown in relations with independent members.’