A proposal to introduce the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning of Kent County Council meetings has sparked debate between ruling Reform UK councillors and opposition representatives.
Saying the prayer was one of a number of constitutional changes proposed by councillors, including the singing of the national anthem at the end of full council meetings, as reported by Kent Live.
“We are a Christian nation”, council chairman Richard Palmer told the chamber. Responding to opposition criticism, he said while “not all may practice that faith, we could always come together with all faiths.”
Prayers were supported by Maxine Fothergill, Restore Britain councillor, who said “I do believe we are a Christian country and our King is the head of the Church.” She said other councils opened their meetings with prayers led by clergy, with councillors having the opportunity to sit out.
Green Party leader Mark Hood called the plan “absolutely bonkers”, believing prayers would be “overrepresenting” Christians because fewer than half of the county’s population identified with the faith.
“We don’t need this kind of nonsense making it into our chamber. We’ve never needed it before, we certainly don’t need it now”, he concluded.
Conservative leader Andrew Kennedy, whose husband is an ordained vicar, said he would feel compelled to sit out during the prayers.
“I wasn’t elected as a religious representative and the decisions I make are not guided by God or any other religious leader. They are guided by my principles as an elected politician and the people I represent”, he said.
One councillor questioned what version of the Lord’s Prayer would be used, given the variation between denominations.
Others asked whether it distracted from the council’s business as a statutory body, considering previous discussions about saving time in meetings.
There were also concerns that staff and councillors would have their religious background revealed, based on their attendance during prayers. The monitoring officer cautioned that the prayer could not legally be broadcast on the livestream, because it would identify religious beliefs.
The Selection and Member Services Committee agreed to put the changes, including the Lord’s Prayer, to a full council vote in the future.
