FEARS that Catholic schools in Glasgow are under threat have been allayed as politicians said there are no plans to challenge faith-based education.

The move comes after Green Party councillors in Edinburgh, backed by Liberal Democrat colleagues, put forward a motion to remove the right of the Catholic community to sit on and vote on school board decisions.

It provoked outrage from senior members of the Catholic faith and prompted a letter condemning the move to be sent to parishes across the capital.

However, the Green Party in Glasgow has said it has no current plans to follow its Edinburgh colleagues.

A spokesman for Glasgow's Green Party councillors said: "We are not actively considering any action but are watching the outcome of events in Edinburgh with interest."

A letter written by Archbishop Leo Cushley and read out by all parish priests at mass on Sunday described it as ‘the first step in a process to remove faith education from schools in Scotland altogether’.

The Archbishop wrote: "This motion presents a serious threat to the identity and Catholicity of our schools in Edinburgh and is also, in all probability, just the first step in a process to remove faith education from schools in Scotland altogether.

"To deprive the Church's representatives of voting rights on the education committee, where they sit on behalf of us and our children, casts into serious doubt the commitment of some of our elected representatives to the future of Catholic schools."

The letter also called for parishioners to write to their councillors to oppose the move "as a matter of urgency" and urged Catholics to fight against the proposal.

Earlier this year, Perth and Kinross Council became the first local authority to remove voting rights from church representatives, with Edinburgh potentially following suit on August 22.

The vote was delayed until August due to an ongoing legal challenge against the Perth and Kinross decision.

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said two representatives from the Catholic Church can vote on education matters at CAC.

She added there are no plans to change this long standing arrangement.

The Archdiocese of Glasgow did not respond to a request for comment.