LAWYERS acting for the National Secular Society have sent a letter to West Devon Borough Council, advising it that prayers during council meetings are in conflict with human rights provisions.

The society has mounted a campaign to stop council prayers after complaints from some of the country's councillors.

A spokesman for the society said: 'There are many — maybe even the majority — of local councils in this country that start their meetings with Christian prayers.

'Non-believers and those of other religions are put in the embarrassing position of wondering whether to participate or pointedly not participate.

'It is intolerable that elected representatives should be put through this in carrying out their duty.

'A typical reaction to their protests is that they are told they can leave the chamber during prayers and return.

'We also know of potential candidates who will not put their names forward for election, appalled that they should be expected to participate in prayers. This deprives local democracy of much-needed new blood.'

The society says that it is not seeking to restrict freedom of worship. If some council members wished to pray, there was no problem with them doing so before council meetings.

The society said this should be separate from the meetings and preferably not in the same room, so that those arriving for the meeting were not inconvenienced.

'We have been working on this campaign for some months — top lawyers working on behalf of the NSS have sent a letter to one council advising them that prayers during council meetings are in conflict with human rights provisions,' said the society.

Mayor of West Devon Alison Clish-Green said her personal view was that Christian prayers should not be part of the meeting but she would be happy to support having a prayer session before the meeting in a separate room that people could attend if they wanted to.

'West Devon Borough Council is unusual in that it does not seem to have any ethnic minorities represented on it but there are people living in the community who come from ethnic minorities, believers and non believers and supporters of different religions,' she said.

'In this day and age we should be embracing everybody from all walks of life.'