Council street wardens, or BOAs, should have “a neutral image” and will not be allowed to wear any religious symbols from next year, justice minister David van Weel has said in a briefing to MPs.

The measure will “strengthen public faith in their neutrality and behaviour”, the VVD minister said.

Local councils currently have the right to allow council workers to wear religious symbols, such as headscarves, crosses and yarmulkes, and many do so to promote inclusivity.

The minister’s briefing coincided with a decision by The Hague city council to allow council workers to wear religious symbols, following in the footsteps of Amsterdam, Utrecht, Tilburg and Arnhem.

Van Weel said he will now overrule the councils’ power by imposing new regulations which must ensure that all wardens have the same neutral image. That will take time, he said, and the measure will not take effect until the end of 2025.

The ban on religious symbols for wardens was ruled to be “stigmatising and ineffective” by the Dutch council of human rights two years ago which said they could still do their job in neutral way, despite being visibly religious.

The wardens union is happy with the minister’s decision, saying religious symbols create confusion and a lack of neutrality.