THE name of Swindon's next bishop won't be announced until early February because of administration delays.

John Lloyd, the spokesman for the Diocese of Bristol which covers Swindon, said: "The name is absolutely confirmed and I gather that all the necessary medicals have been carried out.

"We are just waiting for the go-ahead from 10 Downing Street."

The former bishop, the Rt Rev Michael Doe, left Swindon in April after serving the town since September 1994.

Late last year the Archbishop of Canterbury inaugurated him into his new role as the general secretary of the United Society Of The Propagation Of The Gospel, which is based in London.

It is known that the new bishop will be a man as it cannot be a woman under current Church of England rules.