FOR the first time since 1851, all British citizens will be asked to declare their religion in the next official census in 2001.

And Bolton's ethnic communities have welcomed the move. The wave of support in the Bolton area, however, is in stark contrast to widespread opposition in other parts of the country.

The Vice-chancellor of London University, Professor Graham Zelick, has warned Home Secretary Jack Straw that it is "a dangerous proposal" which will erode personal liberty and could lead to official abuse of such information. Despite these concerns, a spokesman from the Bolton Mosque Community Care said: "I don't see that it will be a problem. People know what religion we are and we don't try to hide it.

"We have nothing to hide. We are proud to be Muslim and it's on our passports anyway so I don't think it's really an issue." The Anglican Dean of Bolton, the Rev Roger Oldfield, agrees: "I have no problem saying that I am a Christian. If people have a faith and go to church or the temple anyway, I don't see a problem as yet."

And the Director of Bolton's Racial Equality Unit, Jo Hall, also believes the decision is a positive move.

She said: "It would give us more information about the communities in Bolton and would enable us to provide targeted services.

"It's not really personal information and could be very useful."

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