Barnet council has agreed to adopt a covenant to set out how it works with faith groups in the borough.

The All Parliamentary Party Covenant for Engagement between Faith Communities and Local Authorities sets out a series of principles as to how faith communities and the authority can successfully work together.

The covenant will encourage faith groups to have a say on how services are run, and will commit the council to continue working with groups through the Communities Together Network and the Barnet Multi-Faith Forum.

Members of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society will be invited for a formal signing of the covenant at Hendon Town Hall in September.

Councillor David Longstaff, chairman of the community leadership committee, said: “Barnet is one of the most diverse boroughs in the UK but still demonstrates harmonious relationships between multiple faith groups in the area.

“The covenant is a celebration of our longstanding working relationship with BMFF and their invaluable contribution to keeping Barnet a great place to live and work, where people get on well together.

“The covenant has all party support in Barnet and it will enable us to continue a fruitful collaboration, alongside other partners in the voluntary and community sector, into all aspects of the council’s work with residents and users of the council’s services.”

Stephen Timms MP, chairman of the all-party group, said: “I am delighted that Barnet council has adopted the covenant drawn up by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society and would like to thank everyone that made that possible.

“I hope the covenant will help build trust on both sides, between the council and the faith based organisations operating in the borough, so that more of the potential contribution of the faith groups in Barnet can be realized.”

In the latest Residents’ Perception Survey, 84 per cent of respondents agreed that people from different backgrounds get on well together in Barnet.

Nearly 80 per cent also agreed that people in Barnet treat each other with respect and consideration.