Unholy row over prayers before council’s meetings
AWelsh council has been strongly criticised for insisting that prayers take place before council meetings.
Denbighshire County Council is conducting prayers in the main chamber before meetings. This has be criticised as inappropriate by some members of the council.
Councillor Paul Penlington said: “I haven’t called for an end to prayers, simply pointed out they are not appropriate to a council meeting. I’ve politely suggested a prayer room is provided away from the council chambers for those who wish to participate, as is the norm in many large organisations in the 21st century.
“Insisting Christian prayers take place in a meeting room that is open to the public is in fact slightly discriminatory to non-Christians, but those who are objecting seem to think their opinion is more valid than others.
“I have pointed out a very simple solution that would meet the needs of all. My comments have been quite reasonable and measured so I am surprised some other councillors have reacted quite angrily over this.”
Councillors have no statutory power to summon councillors to prayers, which means they cannot form part of the official business of a
meeting. This follows a High Court ruling from 2012 obtained by the National Secular Society (NSS).
The council has said the prayers are technically before the meetings and therefore not part of the proceedings.
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans wrote to the council calling on it to change its decision.
In the letter he wrote: “We understand that your present arrangement is to hold prayers shortly before the meeting technically starts. This may be in accordance with the letter of the law, but not the spirit.
“We would therefore encourage you to review your arrangements with a view to ensuring that meetings are held in a manner equally welcoming to all attendees, regardless of their individual religious beliefs or lack of belief.
“Given that Denbighshire Council is a secular body representing a religiously diverse and largely non-religious local community, it is unsurprising that the inclusion of Christian worship at meetings is not universally welcomed.”
Christian councillor Rhy Thomas echoed the calls for separation of religion and government.
He said: “In Denbighshire we have people of many faiths and no faith. We represent all those constituents.
“Therefore we are not representing them all by having Christian prayers.
“If councillors want to meet together to pray, then let them. The council meeting is to do council business on behalf of all.”
This is not the first time the issue of religious worship in public bodies has caused controversy in Wales. Last August the Mayor of Barry Town Council was criticised for introducing prayers before council meetings.
When approached for comment, Denbighshire Council said that most members wanted the prayers to continue.
A council spokesman said: “Meetings do not formally begin until after prayers are said. The issue of prayers at council meetings was considered by the High Court in a case in 2012 brought by the National Secular Society against Bideford Town Council, Devon.
“The court ruled that requiring members to pray was a breach of the Equality Act’s prohibition on religious discrimination and the right not to hold religious beliefs and not to be discriminated for that lack of belief contrary to Articles 9 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
“The Court made a declaration that the point of this case was very narrow, that it only precluded prayers as part of the formal business of the meeting and that councils could still hold prayers before their meeting.
“Denbighshire County Council was asked how it wished to proceed and the view expressed by the vast majority of members was that prayers should be continued, albeit not as part of the formal business of the meeting.”