Councillors discussed the possibility of altering the constitution in February, with a view to shortening meetings.
Full council meetings often last longer than two hours and have been known to overrun to accommodate debates.
The proposal would need to go before a constitutional working group for further analysis, but the council says there are “no plans for the near future”.
Full council meetings, which every councillor must attend, begin with a brief prayer delivered by the mayor’s elected chaplain. They end with a rendition of God Save the King.
MORE NEWS: Havering turns 60 – A look back at some key moments in its history
The two ceremonies take an average of five minutes combined.
Under the proposed timetable, prayers would instead be held before the meeting in a separate room, and the national anthem would cease being played.
Any changes to the constitution would have to be approved at a full council meeting.
Conservative councillor David Taylor, the church engagement lead for the Conservative Christian Fellowship, said he was “shocked” to hear about the proposals.
He said: “To remove these important traditions in the name of saving three or four minutes is a trashing of tradition. It won’t improve anything about the way meetings work and won’t improve anything for residents.
“The anthem is an important part of our meetings, which brings us all together as one group, politics aside, and reminds us that we’re here for the good of the country.”
Prayer is also an “important tradition” in a “nation with a strong Christian heritage,” the St Edwards ward councillor said.
He said: “Prayer humbles us and, much like the anthem, reminds us that we are both servants and here for the greater good.”
Havering Council says it would research other councils’ timetables before considering the proposals.
In the neighbouring borough of Redbridge, full council meetings begin with a prayer but the national anthem is not played at the end. Newham Council does not begin its full council meetings with a prayer nor does it play the national anthem.
A spokesperson for Havering Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Although there were discussions regarding the prayers and playing the national anthem during a full council meeting and a governance committee meeting, there are no plans to bring this before the constitution working group (CWG) in the near future, as other constitutional updates are already on the agenda.
“We will carry out research into the way other London councils cover prayers and the national anthem before considering the discussion at CWG – if there is a recommendation to change the current format, this would need to be approved by the governance committee and full council.”
