Devon Humanists protest against council funding for “faith consultation”

A local humanist group is calling for Devon County Council to scrap funding for “faith” consultations, branding the present system as discriminatory and a waste of public resources.

Devon County Council and other public sources put £8,000 into “interfaith work” and “faith consultation” last year. Now Devon Humanists — who represent agnostics and atheists in the county — question the value of this expenditure when most people no longer care much about religion. They say that if money is to be spent, then all local people should be consulted, rather than a minority.

Devon Humanists spokesperson, Keith Denby, said: “The County Council funds a body called Devon Faiths Forum and tries to use it to consult about religion and belief issues. Unfortunately, by its very name, it excludes all those in Devon who have no religious faith. It is also hard to see what this expenditure has achieved for the benefit of the majority of Devon residents.”

Mr Denby said: “Three quarters of British people are not members of a religious group or faith, but the Local Authority appears to be directing its efforts and Council Tax payers’ money into consulting the religious minority, so ignoring the views of most people. Everyone in Devon can make their views known to the Council, and so it is hard to justify spending public money to give a privileged position to one interest group. Devon people urgently deserve real opportunities to influence Council policies and to prepare to meet the practical, ethical and moral challenges of the future. Devon Humanists, therefore, call on the Local Authority to develop better ways of consulting us all, and to end funding for self-selecting minorities.”