Reform's first council meeting motion defeated after prayers debate

The proposal was brought forward by Bolton Reform leader Cllr Trevor Jones at Bolton Town Hall on Wednesday evening (June 24) during a full council meeting.

Before the meeting officially began, opening prayers were led by the Mayor's chaplain, a common tradition at full council meetings.

Reform UK councillors were absent from the chamber during the prayers and entered once they had finished.

Trevor Jones, along with other Reform members, came into the council chamber en masse once the prayers had concluded (Image: PHIL TAYLOR)

Later in the evening, Bolton Reform brought forward its first motion through Cllr Jones, sparking more than an hour of discussion among councillors.

With 10 Reform councillors now holding seats, the proposal came as something of a surprise to other members.

After campaigning on issues including HMOs, immigration and financial accountability, Cllr Jones instead put forward a motion concerning the role of prayers at council meetings.

The motion requested that the council "reviews the practice of including prayers as part of the formal proceedings".

Cllr Jones proposed that prayers could instead take place in a separate room or be replaced by a minute's silence.

He said that if the motion was lost and prayers continued, "Reform UK will enter the chamber after the prayers have finished", as members had done before the meeting.

Councillors from across the chamber appeared united in their opposition to the motion.

Among those opposing was the leader of the council, Cllr Akhtar Zaman.

Cllr Zaman said: "I was waiting impatiently for a big policy announcement from Reform Bolton.

"Is this really the best that Reform can come up with?"

Councillor Akhtar Zaman (Image: PHIL TAYLOR)

He compared the proposal with other motions discussed during the meeting, including animal welfare, the effects of social media, tobacco and snus on young people, and net zero.

Cllr Zaman said: "These are all motions that the people of Bolton have a direct interest in.

"They are all motions that concern the lives and welfare of our people.

"What do we get from Reform?

"From the Reform leader, banning prayers at the start of the council."

Cllr Zaman went on to describe the motion as "bogus".

The Reform group proposed that the ancient tradition of prayers before council meetings, led by the mayor's chaplain, should be abolished (Image: An imam leads prayers before the council meeting begins) (Image: PHIL TAYLOR)

Cllr David Grant, leader of the Horwich and Blackrod First Independents (HBFI), also criticised the proposal, suggesting that the time spent debating prayers would exceed the amount of time they had taken up over the past 50 years.

Cllr Debbie Newall suggested that "a motion designed to cause division has actually done the complete opposite", arguing that it had united councillors who would not normally agree with one another.

The motion was ultimately defeated.