To pray or not to pray? Cabinet members' regret that prayer no longer said at start of full council meetings

                                                        

North East Lincolnshire's mayor - Cllr Janet Goodwin

SHOULD a prayer be said at the start of full meetings of North East Lincolnshire Council?

The question recently came up in a discussion among the authority's cabinet members.

In the past, there used to be a prayer - sometimes said by the mayor's chaplain - but it seems the current mayor, Cllr Janet Goodwin, has dispensed with the tradition, at least during her term of office.

Council leader Cllr Philip Jackson said it was up to whoever was current mayor to determine whether to start proceedings with this longstanding Christian tradition.  

But he expressed regret that it had been dropped.

Agreement same from Cllr Stewart Swinburn who maintained that for a prayer to be said showed "support for the community".