Bishop saddened at decision to ditch Council prayers in St Albans

Prayers before St Albans District Council meetings have been abolished, in a move met with dismay by the city’s Bishop.

Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sinéad Howland claimed the prayers discriminated against atheist councillors, were in breach of the Equality Act, and disrupted the start of meetings.

But Revd Dr Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans, spoke out against the Council’s decision to end the long-standing tradition.

Christian heritage

The Bishop observed that the move appeared “contrary to the spirit of the Local Government (Religious etc. Observances) Act 2015, which allows for religious or philosophical observances at local authority meetings”.

He added: “In a city named after St Alban, Britain’s first Christian martyr, it is sad that this tradition, which has existed for many decades, is to be set aside. For many, prayer offers a moment of reflection, wisdom and encouragement as councillors prepare to serve their community.

“However, as Christians in St Albans, we remain committed to praying for our local representatives, as we do for all who hold public office. We will continue to pray that they are guided by wisdom and compassion.”

Parliamentary prayers

Last month, Muslim MP Shockat Adam defended the use of Christian prayers before each sitting of the House of Commons.

Opposing an Early Day Motion (EDM) urging Parliament to abandon the historic practice, the Independent member for Leicester South told the Mail on Sunday such prayers were “part of our Christian heritage and Parliament’s traditions”.

The EDM, backed by MPs from Labour, the Green Party, the SNP and Liberal Democrats, received just nine signatures, while the previous attempt to abolish prayers in 2019 received just 15 signatures.

Secularist attack

The National Secular Society, which is running the campaign to axe Parliamentary and local Government prayers, believes that religious worship should not “play any part in the formal business of the state”.

The organisation made similar claims in 2019, when it attempted to have prayers removed from meetings of Denbighshire Council in Wales. Despite the pressure, the Council refused to remove the prayers.