RESIDENTS across York are to be consulted on their religious beliefs in a new four-month survey aimed at paving the way to inter-faith celebration.

The faiths audit was launched at the Guildhall last night, as part of the York: City Of Faiths initiative.

People are being invited to complete an online survey, outlining their religious beliefs and saying which faith-based organisations in the city they belong to.

Bill McCarthy, chief executive of City of York Council, said: “York is a welcoming city, with good understanding and relationships across all our communities. The faiths audit means we can get a true picture of just how diverse our city is and celebrate the wealth of faiths and cultures which exist here.”

A council spokeswoman said the audit would seek to find out more about the “distinct and diverse religious identities” of the people of York, and to see how they could work together to increase awareness of the city’s different faith communities.

The Rev Jeremy Clines, chaplain at York St John University, said: “I’m delighted that, as a city that has citizens from many different religions, we have this opportunity to express ourselves and improve our understanding of one another.”

However, York councillor and vocal secularist Paul Blanchard criticised the venture, saying it was an illegitimate use of public money.

York: City Of Faiths was launched in March 2006 to demonstrate a commitment for working together in the city between local faith communities, learning institutions, City of York Council and other organisations.

The council spokeswoman said: “In the last two years, many celebratory, educational and spiritual events have been organised by local faith communities and many York residents have participated to discover more about the distinct and diverse religious identities of the peoples of York.”

She said a five-year plan had been agreed on how the communities could work together to help increase awareness, and said the faiths audit was being undertaken as part of that plan.

It is available online at www.york.gov.uk/faithsurvey/ and will run until the end of July. Results from the survey will be published on the council’s website, and will be used in the planning of a public celebration of the diversity of religions present in the city.

This is expected to take place next year.