BRIGG PRAYER TRADITION PRESERVED

A quick tally leads us to think that Brigg councillor Rob Waltham has 18 roles in his extensive portfolio of local government duties, including being deputy leader and a member of the cabinet controlling North Lincolnshire Council, an elected member of our own Town Council and a member of various committees and groups.
On Monday night he added another to the list, when he called the Town Council to prayer!
The Mayor's Chaplain  was unable to be present at the start of the meeting. And now the Rev Alec Depledge is no longer a member of the Town Council, there was no-one available to lead the council in prayer, which is a long-standing tradition.
The meeting seemed set to resume without having made a collective request for guidance and wisdom  to The Almighty. But then Coun Waltham  suggested councillors said The Lord's Prayer together. Which is what happened. 
We can't recall this happening before, and we've been attending Brigg meetings for more years than we care to remember.
Prayers don't form part of town council meetings. Councillors actually vote to suspend the meeting while prayers are said and then re-start proceedings after that's been done.