BHA welcomes High Court ruling on council prayers

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed the ruling of the High Court that the saying of prayers as part of a formal council meeting is not lawful under the Local Government Act 1972.Pavan Dhaliwal, BHA Head of Public Affairs commented, 'The practice of saying Christian prayers in local councils and in other public bodies, like the Westminster Parliament, is archaic, divisive and inappropriate. There has been progress in some councils which have seen prayers abolished and in new institutions like the Scottish Parliament, which was founded without the same tradition of prayers.