A NEW law protecting Bury Council's right to say prayers before town hall meetings has been welcomed by a local politician.

The borough’s councillors traditionally say prayers before monthly Full Council meetings but the practise was questioned by critics, including the National Secular Society, who claimed it unfairly forces atheists to take part.

After a series of Parliamentary debates in recent months, the law received Royal Ascent last Thursday.

In response, Stephan Evans, representing the society said: "The legislation is no victory for democracy or religious freedom.

"By allowing council officials or religious cliques, even if they are in the majority, to impose their acts of worship on to the formal business of council meetings, this legislation has the potential do much more harm than good.

"Council chambers are not places of worship and it's hard to see how religious freedom is served by allowing councils to summon councillors to prayer.

"Thankfully, the passing of the act is unlikely to give rise to any significant number of councils introducing acts of worship — and we expect most local authorities will continue to treat their employees' and councillors' personal beliefs as a private matter rather than official council business."

Mr David Nuttall, who is a practising Christian and a churchwarden at St Anne's Church in Tottington, and is due to defend his Bury North seat in the May general election, said: "In Bury today, the mayor chooses their own chaplain or representative to say prayers.

"Over the years, we have had a Muslim mayor and Christian mayors.

"At the moment, someone of the Jewish faith, Cllr Michelle Wiseman, is the mayor of Bury and she has chosen someone from the local synagogue to say prayers before the start of Full Council meetings.

"There is no obligation for others to be in the council chamber.

"They could be outside or sit in their place as usual and use the time to reflect on their moral code of beliefs, if that is their wish."

The Government's Faith Minister Eric Pickles said the legislation was a victory for localism over "intolerant and aggressive secularism."

He added: "The right to worship is a fundamental and hard-fought British liberty, and the fight for religious freedom in British history is deeply entwined with the political freedoms we take for granted."