In a speech heavily dominated by the praising of ‘faith’ and of religious groups, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles MP has suggested new legislation will ‘open the door for faith groups’ to take on public services on behalf of the state.
Mr Pickles addressed an event for the Chief Executives of Christian organisations, and set out details of new ‘rights’ that government is creating which will ‘Make it easier for local faith groups to take over buildings’ and will ‘open the door for faith groups to get further involved in local life.’ He added, ‘And it’s right that they do so.’
Mr Pickles was referring to two new ‘rights’ created in the Localism Bill currently before Parliament, the ‘Community Right to Bid’ and the ‘Community Right to Challenge’.
BHA Head of Public Affairs Naomi Phillips said, ‘Aside from reinforcing the pro-religious bias which dominates the government’s “Big Society” and localism agenda, this speech makes it crystal clear that the government is keen to hand over local services and facilities to religious groups and is making it as easy as possible to do so. Not only are truly inclusive, secular spaces put at risk by such a policy but people’s rights and equalities are seriously compromised. Religious groups may well wish to be paid by the state to take on the provision of public services but questions are raised about their ability to do so in a way which does not discriminate or use the service as a vehicle for evangelising. When successive governments have refused to make the legal changes necessary to prevent religious groups discriminating before they contract out public services to them, we are seeing a real threat to the shared nature of public services.’
In a House of Lords debate on the Localism Bill on 8 June 2011, BHA Vice President Baroness Whitaker described the ‘Community Right to Challenge’ as ‘needing a hard look’ because it ‘opens up public services to bids from community groups. If such a group is a religious organisation, it is exempt from the Equality Act requirement not to discriminate in employment or in the provision of services, and there is nothing to prevent it including proselytisation as part of its service delivery.’
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For further comment or information, please contact Naomi Phillips at naomi@humanists.uk or on 07540 257101.
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The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of ethically concerned, non-religious people in the UK. It is the largest organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief, and for a secular state.