A much-loved vicar will step down next month following cost cutting measures in the Church of England.

Rev’d Vanessa Cole will be leaving the Portway and Danebury Ministry, covering Amport, Monxton, Grateley, Quarley, Over Wallop, Nether Wallop and a significant proportion of the west of Andover.

A statement released on Vanessa’s behalf said: “As part of the process to reduce costs across all areas of diocesan work, Vanessa has taken the decision after prayer and reflection to offer her resignation.

“She will be leaving us on April 6 2021. Vanessa will be considering future opportunities within the diocese as they open up.

“Thank you for being part of my ministry here in the Wallops.”

The vicar was ordained as a deacon in 2004, and subsequently became a priest in the Diocese of Bath & Wells in 2005. She joined the team in Portway and Danebury in 2009, and has run activities such as leaving hearts for the people of her parishes.

Residents paid tribute on social media, saying Vanessa was "such a comfort in these times of lockdown" and that she will be "greatly missed".

The news comes amid plans for restructuring of benefices in the Andover Deanery, which have left a vacancy for the rector of Portway and Danebury open since July 2019.

It follows a leaked discussion paper from the Church of England which says dioceses may be “forced into making indiscriminate cuts” following financial challenges. The paper says that on average, parishes in the south of England have seen a reduction in income of around 7.4 per cent on average.

The paper suggests that income for the Church in 2021 is set to be down about 10 per cent, with spending on clergy down four per cent.

It states: “In response to the financial situation, dioceses are making provision for reduced numbers of clergy in almost all cases”, with a potential for lay roles to be affected as well.

The paper continues: “Most of the dioceses announcing significant changes in clergy numbers are doing so as part of a programme to revitalise mission and ministry, re-allocate resources to places where both ministry provision and attendance are currently lower and to refresh their leadership.

“The risk, however, is that dioceses are forced into making indiscriminate cuts that weaken their mission health as they seek to develop a comprehensive programme to address it.”

In a statement regarding the budget cuts, the Diocese of Winchester said: "The Winchester Diocesan Board of Finance (WBDF) approved a package of measures, designed to put us on a stable footing for the coming years, in the light of the pandemic and growing deficit. This involved a number of difficult decisions, all of which have been carefully considered and weighed up over the past four months by the Diocesan Resilience Taskforce, led by Bishop Debbie [Sellin of Southampton].

"The WDBF agreed that £2m of savings are required and must be implemented by the middle of 2021 in order to balance future budgets. They will be met by a combination of central savings in the Diocesan Office, and through a decrease in the number of incumbent stipends, which will go to the Joint Mission and Pastoral Committee, before detailed consultations with deanery leadership teams.

"None of this is easy to say. We realise it will be an extremely unsettling period, and we will support everyone as best we can."