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A LEADING religious pressure group has warned that subsidised parking for Sunday worshippers is ‘almost certainly illegal’ and has called for the concession to be stopped.

More than £55,000 was saved by churchgoers parking in Woking town centre between January 2009 and June 2011, according to figures revealed under the Freedom of Information Act.

Members of the congregation at the Coign Church in Goldsworth Road, Christ Church in Town Square, and Trinity Methodist Church saved a total of £55,864 over the two-and-a-half-year period, inserting their parking tickets into a validating machine at the end of each Sunday service.

Since the news emerged, the National Secular Society (NSS), which claims to challenge ‘religious privilege’, has now contacted Woking Borough Council (WBC) to advise that giving churchgoers free parking may be against the law.

Terry Sanderson, president of the society, said: “This arrangement is almost certainly illegal under equality legislation and the NSS has written to Woking council to advise them of this.

“I encourage our members to check the websites of their local authority to see if there are other concessionary parking arrangements for faith groups.

“If Woking’s exemptions were to be replicated throughout the country, the subsidy would amount to tens of millions of pounds.

“We have advised the council that under the Equality Act these arrangements almost certainly amount to illegal discrimination.

“We await their response with interest.”

The group believe that any arrangements benefitting people who attend religious services,which is denied to other members of the public, would constitute unlawful indirect discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.

Ray Morgan, chief executive of the council, said the authority had taken advice from its lawyers on the issue and was awaiting a response.

He said: “What we have told them because they asked us is that when we did it , as far as we were concerned, it was legal.

“They have made a challenge and say they think it is illegal, so we have sought formal legal advice on that matter.”

The validation scheme will continue pending the legal advice, and the issue is due to be raised at a meeting of the executive committee on October 13, where a decision could be taken on its future.

Explaining why the situation had arisen, Mr Morgan added: “The council greatly values the whole faith community and the work they do, and it actively supports things like Woking People of Faith and people from faith backgrounds.

“It’s important that we do what’s right for Woking’s residents.”