DCLG cash intended for faith groups given to atheists

The Conservatives have established that taxpayers' money earmarked for faith communities has been given to a group which promotes atheism.

It turns out that Hazel Blears's Department for Communities and Local Government has granted no less than £25,000 of its "Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund" to the British Humanist Association, which not only promotes atheism, but actively campaigns against public money being given to faith groups which provide or support local and community services.

An answer to a parliamentary question has also revealed that the BHA has received a further £35,000 from the Equality and Human Rights Commission to to deliver "increased understanding of issues of religion or belief in the context of equality and human rights within the voluntary sector, media and general public".  

Shadow DCLG secretary Caroline Spelman is seething:

“There is a clear agenda to twist so-called equality and human rights. It is wrong that taxpayers’ money is being used to bully town halls into axing funding for Christian faith groups. It is scandalous that Government cash is being used to train a cadre of ‘local authority equality officers’.

“People of all faiths in our country have a right to pursue that faith without taxpayers' money being used to marginalise them”

The story is covered in this morning's Daily Mail.

Jonathan Isaby