Gay union ceremony ban challenged

Ken Livingstone says the move is mean spirited

A council's decision to ban gay wedding ceremonies is to be challenged by the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone.

South-east London's Bromley Council will allow same-sex couples to register their marriage but the ceremonies are disallowed on municipal property.

The council's leader Stephen Carr said he personally felt a service would equate heterosexual and gay marriages.

The new Civil Partnership Act, which comes into force on 5 December, makes gay unions possible.

Mr Livingstone described the move in a letter to Mr Carr as "mean spirited".

The letter said: "The Department of Trade and Industry has issued guidance on civil partnerships encouraging gay couples to hold ceremonies as part of their registrations.

"If the statements attributed to Bromley councillors by the local media are correct, I would say that this decision is clearly based on bigotry towards lesbians and gay men.

"I have therefore asked the Greater London Authority's lawyers to look into the possibility of the Greater London Authority supporting a legal challenge to this discriminatory practice."