The next stage in the process of appointing the future Bishop of Gloucester will take place on September 22 in the city.

Members of the public are invited to participate in an open public meeting and consultation which will be held at 7pm in the Chapter House of Gloucester Cathedral to discuss what will happen next with the role.

The meeting will provide any member of the public with the opportunity to put forward their views and expectations of what they would like the future Bishop of Gloucester to bring to the diocese.

The meeting will be chaired by the Venerable Robert Springett, Archdeacon of Cheltenham and chair of the diocesan’s Vacancy in See Committee.

The Archbishops’ Secretary for Appointments and the Prime Minister’s Secretary for Appointments will be there to listen to the views put forward.

Archdeacon Robert said: “The open hearing is a really important opportunity for anyone who wishes to express their views of what they require from their future bishop.”

The Vacancy in See Committee will meet again on September 23 to finalise the diocesan Statement of Needs and to elect six committee members to serve on the Crown Nomination Commission (CNC) – the group which will conduct interviews and ultimately nominate a candidate for the role of Bishop of Gloucester.

The Bishop of Gloucester is the Chief Pastor of all who are in the diocese, which covers the county of Gloucestershire and parts of neighbouring counties.

It runs from the Welsh border in the west to Lechlade in the east and from beyond Chipping Campden in the north to Chipping Sodbury in the south. It is home to over 600,000 people, served by some 305 parishes, 390 churches and 116 church schools.

The process for finding the next Bishop of Gloucester will take just under a year with an announcement expected in late spring 2015.

The process started earlier this year following The Bishop of Gloucester, The Right Reverend Michael Perham, announcing he was going to retire in November last year.

But last month the former bishop stood back from his duties for "personal reasons".

Days after it was revealed he was being questioned over allegations of sex abuse dating back more than 30 years.

He was quizzed about allegations that he had abused a girl under 18 and a woman.

Officers probing historic allegations of indecent assault had arranged to speak to the married father-of-four on a voluntary basis.

The investigation is being run by the Metropolitan Police Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.

A Met spokesman said last month "A 66-year-old man attended a police station in Gloucestershire by appointment and was interviewed on suspicion of indecent assault of a child aged under 18 and indecent assault of a second female aged over 18. He was not arrested. The alleged incidents are said to have occurred between 1980 and 1981. Inquiries continue."

The police have confirmed their investigation is on-going.