COMMUNITIES Secretary Eric Pickles has moved to restore legal permission for councils to hold prayers at the start of meetings.

A High Court ruled earlier this month that councils have no legal basis for adding prayers to the formal agenda.

The Sentinel reported on Saturday how Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, which does list prayers on its formal agenda, planned to defy the judgment.

But Mr Pickles has now fast-tracked a "power of competence" clause in the Government's localism act to reverse the decision.

Mr Pickles said: "By effectively reversing that illiberal ruling we are striking a blow for localism over central interference, for freedom to worship over intolerant secularism, for Parliamentary sovereignty over judicial activism, and for long-standing British liberties over political correctness."