[2] His first career was in National Health Service, working at the Blackburn Royal Infirmary and qualifying as a State Registered Nurse in 1973.
From 2000 to January 2013, he served as prolocutor of the Lower House of the Convocation of York and also as a member of the Crown Nominations Commission and the Archbishops' Council.
He was cited in the Guardian and Church Times along with Peter Burrows, Steven Croft, Martyn Snow, Roy Williamson and Archbishop of York, John Sentamu as subject of Clergy Disciplinary Measure complaints owing to their inaction on the alleged victim's disclosure.
[15][16] Webster was heavily criticised at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) within the Church of England, and doubts were raised regarding the veracity of the evidence he gave to the inquiry after a victim had alleged that he had spoken with Webster about historical abuse by another Anglican bishop, and that the victim had “been advised by him not to report it” and to move on.
[17][18][19] In October 2020, a report was published, entitled "A Betrayal of Trust" – an independent past case review requested by The Church of England, chaired by David Pearl.
This found on the balance of probabilities that Webster had lied to the Independent Inquiry and had failed to act in a serious safeguarding breach within the Church.