SECULAR campaigners have urged council chiefs to “stand firm” on controversial proposals to scrap free transport to faith schools.

Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society (NSS), said faith school transport subsidies were discriminatory and called on Durham County Council to stick to its plans to scrap them.

Mr Porteous Wood, whose group said it challenged “religious privilege”, said faith school transport cost the authority £2m a year – the second highest of 100 councils it surveyed.

In an open letter to council leader Simon Henig, he said: “These huge subsidies provided to pupils at religious schools amount to religious discrimination.

“The council has to make huge savings. It should stand firm in its proposals to cut this objectionable discrimination and ensure that the money saved can help reduce the impact of other service cuts on the whole community.”

Council chiefs, who are facing cuts of £125m over four years, believe scrapping the subsidy would save £1m by 2015.

However, Catholic church leaders, headteachers and parents are lobbying hard for the concession to be saved.

After behind-closed-doors talks with Councillor Henig on Friday, Catholic leaders expressed hope a deal could be reached.

Mr Porteous Wood said the Catholic delegation had been granted special access, but said their voices should not be heard any more loudly than anyone else’s.

The NSS promotes secularism, campaigning for the disestablishment of the Church of England as the state church, the withdrawal of subsidies to religious schools and the abolition of blasphemy laws.

David Williams, the council’s director of children and young people’s services, said the proposals would result in all children being treated equally.

He said the council was consulting on a number of changes because it needs to make substantial savings after major cuts in Government grants, and said all proposals related to services not required by law.

Consultation will end on Tuesday, May 10. For more information, call 0191-3834490 or visit durham.gov.uk After The Northern Echo broke the story, comments posted on northernecho.co.uk have overwhelmingly supported scrapping free transport to County Durham’s faith schools.