'Get it off the agenda'

Lin Ferguson | Tuesday, February 14, 2012 7:43 59 Comments

YEAR-LONG BATTLE: Clive Solomon has doggedly pursued his campaign against the prayer that opens council meetings.

Wanganui District councillor Clive Solomon has formally asked to have the council prayer removed from agendas.

His bid is the latest move in the ongoing controversy around the prayer, which has been playing out for more than a year.

The debate was started by a letter from one of Mr Solomon's constituents, Lesley Rudhall, questioning the council's tradition of saying a prayer.

Mr Solomon described the whole year as being a nightmare.

In his letter to council chief executive Kevin Ross, requesting the prayer be removed from council agendas, he cited a recent similar case in England (the Bideford case), which was won under what he described as far more difficult legal circumstances compared to Wanganui.

"In the case of the UK (as opposed to New Zealand), church and state are tightly bound. Even so, prayer in council chambers has been deemed unlawful by the British court system."

It meant there was now a legal precedent in this test case, he said.

"I have always loved this little town and have tried to do my utmost for our hospital.

"I thought I knew the people here ... it seems I don't at all and I find that very frightening and very sad."

Being a member of the council team and doing the business of the city was something he wanted to do, he said.

"I'm not asking that prayer be stopped, just that it be removed from council agendas and business.

"I know it's tradition, but really it just means changing the prayer to before the meeting instead of during ... that's all I ask."

Wanganui Mayor Annette Main said the decision from the case in England now needed to be compared with the comparative clause in New Zealand's Local Body Government Act.

Mr Solomon's letter, asking for the prayer to be removed, was sent to Wanganui District Council chief executive Kevin Ross.

"But Mr Ross won't be back until Thursday, so we will just have to leave it until then," Ms Main said.

Last month it was revealed an unsuccessful code of conduct complaint taken by Mr Solomon against fellow councillor Rob Vinsen, around the prayer issue, had cost the council almost $24,000.