The City of Edinburgh Council has voted to end voting privileges for unelected religious appointees on its cabinet and education committees.

The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 says Scottish local authorities must appoint three religious representatives to their education committees.

Lib Dem Cllr Louise Young and SNP Cllr Simita Kuma, who put forward an addendum on the issue, said: ‘Those deciding on council policy should be elected by the public to ensure democratic accountability and representation’.

In a defeated addendum, Edinburgh’s Labour administration said the council should not change the status of religious representatives until the Scottish government issued guidance to local authorities.

Labour Cllr Joan Griffiths, the council’s education, children and families convener, said: ‘The contributions of religious representatives on the Education, Children and Families Committee, as with parent representatives, are of huge value.

‘Although the decision has been taken to remove their voting rights today, they will continue to have places on the committee and be able to play an active and important part in our discussions.’

The National Secular Society, which briefed councillors before the vote, said it welcomed the decision.

Its head of campaigns, Megan Manson, said: ‘We congratulate the City of Edinburgh Council for being the fifth Scottish council this year to vote to end the unfair privileges granted to religious representatives on education committees.

‘That so many councils have made this move in the space of less than a year demonstrates the unsustainability of giving voting powers to unelected individuals based on their religious affiliation.

Ms Manson called on the Scottish government to ‘urgently review this increasingly outdated and unpopular law.’

Orkney, the Highland, Fife, and Stirling councils have all removed voting privileges for religious representatives this year.