Draft women bishops law before CofE Synod 8 July 2013 Last updated at 01:54 The Church of England's ruling General Synod will attempt later to overcome deep disagreement and agree on plans for a new draft law on women bishops. Traditionalists rejected legislation in the past as they were dissatisfied with arrangements to allow them to be looked after by male bishops and priests. They say the new plans offer even fewer concessions to them. But there have been widespread calls to solve the impasse and the plans require only a simple majority at this stage. More than 20 years after the introduction of women priests, the issue of introducing women bishops has continued to divide opponents - including some but not all of those on the Church's evangelical and Anglo-Catholic wings - from reformers. Women now make up about a third of the Church's priests and a measure before the synod last November would have made it lawful for them to be consecrated to the office of bishop. The lay members said the plans gave traditionalists insufficient guarantees that they would have access to alternative, male, bishops. Working group The General Synod is holding a five-day meeting at the University of York. Pressure on the Church to reach a solution has grown since November's vote, says the BBC's religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott. The draft legislation from the synod's House of Bishops has been welcomed by supporters of women bishops. It was created in response to a report submitted in May by a working group from all three Houses. The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has said he wants to see the measure passed as soon as possible. Our correspondent says the synod is likely to approve the plans for the legislation to go forward for a possible vote in 2015, but it could come at the expense of further alienation of its traditionalist minority. The traditionalists are not happy with the plan as the proposal moves away from enshrining concessions to the opponents of women bishops in the legislation itself. The House of Bishops proposals suggest that the concessions should be in a separate declaration by the synod or by the bishops. Q&A: Women bishops debate Women bishops: 100 years of struggle Church apologises for child abuse CofE to tackle homophobic bullying