The law introduced under the Conservatives in 1988 has fuelled bullying, prejudice and maybe even suicide, according to councillors who supported a motion to back Government moves to ditch it.

In an impassioned debate at the Guildhall last week, the full council voted in favour of removing the clause in the current Local Government Bill, which the House of Lords finally backed the next day.

Section 28 prohibits local authorities from intentionally promoting homosexuality or teaching the acceptability of it as a pretended family relationship.

Councillor Adrian McLeay said: "What we need is tolerance and we will not get that when people who are homophobic can hold this up and use it as a reason to attack gays."

He said the law had caused an ignorance about safe sex and increased HIV infections.

But Coun Rupert Matthews said: "It's not a proper use of public money to promote homosexuality.

"People do not pay council tax for those sort of things, because they think it's going on books and teachers."

In a recorded vote, 26 were in favour of repeal and nine against.