THE former top judge in Winchester has been appointed a new role by the Lord Chancellor, months after he retired.

His Honour Keith Cutler CBE has been appointed as an Independent Assessor of the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter, Westminster.

The post of Independent Assessor was created in 2004 following the Cameron Review of Royal Peculiars. An Independent Assessor is appointed to a Royal Peculiar by the Lord Chancellor for a five-year renewable term.

An Independent Assessor provides advice to a Royal Peculiar on request and has the function of moderating and considering grievances after all normal channels have been exhausted.

A Royal Peculiar is a Church of England parish or church exempt from the jurisdiction of the diocese and the province in which it lies and subject to the direct jurisdiction of the monarch.

The former judge was the Resident Judge of Winchester and Salisbury from 2009-2021 and has been a lay canon of Salisbury Cathedral.