Her husband, Tom, a North West-based lawyer, said: "We were fortunate to have the resources to fight this but the end result is that everybody has lost: Norah and Dawn, the council and most importantly the children of Sefton." Sefton council leader David Martin said he would be meeting with the director this morning to discuss the case and formulate a policy for the future. He told the Daily Post: "This is a very sensitive issue and we have had great difficulty with it. "I am sure that Charlie Barker and the social services team will learn lessons from it." West Lancashire MP Colin Pickthall, who represents Mrs Ellis, has written to the council to express his concern at the "clumsy" handling of the affair. He said: "They obviously didn't think it through. "An organisation of that size should discuss the problems fully and share out the work so that people with religious beliefs do not have to handle cases they are uncomfortable with." But Mike Homfray, of Merseyside Gay and Lesbian Christian Group, said: "The views of these two women certainly do not reflect the views of most Christians. "I think they were making a political point and ought not to have kept their jobs. "Frankly, it is not for social workers to judge people or to inflict their moral values on vulnerable people, it is for them to offer support and help, regardless of sexuality." David Johnston, spokesman for the Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, said: "Many people have legitimate questions about the suitability of same sex environments for bringing up children. "Christians and people of other faiths who have specific religious concerns about same sex adoption must be free to follow their conscience." 8GAYS and lesbians working for religious organisations could be sacked with impunity under a new law which provides a "homophobes' charter" for employers, campaigners are claiming. The new Employment Equality Regulations are being implemented to protect homosexuals from discrimination. But a clause has been added exempting organisations with "an ethos based on religion or belief". | 
