While some councils have opted to remove flags from lampposts and other street furniture, one local authority has announced it is to raise union flags at dozens of locations and says it could ‘strengthen community spirit’.
Reform UK-led Nottinghamshire County Council is to spend £75,000 flying new flags at 82 locations across its patch.
Earlier this month, Shropshire Council said it had to remove ‘deteriorated or unsecured flags’ in Shrewsbury to ensure ‘public safety and maintain the appearance of our streets’.
But Nottinghamshire County Council leader Mick Barton said infastructure supports which it plans to use to fly its flags ‘have been robustly tested and are fit for purpose, hence they will last for many years and represent good value for money’.
The decision to hoist an initial 164 flags does not have to be voted on, but councillors have five days to object to the plan to make possible changes to it.
The first batch of flags will be displayed at a cost of about £457 per flag including brackets, traffic management and cherry pickers.
‘Thereafter, they will be used to support other forthcoming events like Armistice Day, Christmas and Easter events,’ Mr Barton said.
‘The supports for the banners have been robustly tested and are fit for purpose, hence they will last for many years and represent good value for money.
‘The safety of the public is foremost, and it is something we will not compromise on.
Council leader Mick Barton said ‘displaying the national flag has the potential to strengthen community spirit and cohesion as well as marking significant national events’
Nottinghamshire County Council is facing a £30m deficit in its special needs budget
‘Displaying the national flag has the potential to strengthen community spirit and cohesion as well as marking significant national events.’
Reform took control of the county council at the local elections earlier this year.
Labour councillor Helen Faccio, who represents Toton, Chilwell and Attenborough, said she was ‘shocked but not surprised’ by the news.
Ms Faccio told the BBC: ‘We heard when Reform came to power, that they would make council services more efficient and cut wasteful spending.
‘Then we hear about huge spending on flags. My residents would say we should spend money filling potholes or investing in youth clubs.
Labour councillor Helen Faccio said she was ‘shocked but not surprised’ by Reform’s decision
‘At the moment, flags are being used to divide us and that is not good for our community.’
Councillor Sam Smith, Conservative leader of the opposition on the council, said: ‘I love driving round Nottinghamshire and seeing flags flying on lamp-posts.
‘Residents across the county and the country have been putting them up themselves and that’s fantastic.
‘To spend £75,000 of taxpayers’ money on putting flags up seems a bit ridiculous to me. That should be spent on services.’
The authority said lampposts had been reviewed to ensure they were safe before the flags were put up.
The grassroots Operation Raise the Colours campaign began in Birmingham and East London and spread around the country. Those behind it said they were motivated by pride and patriotism, but others accused those involved of seeking to divide communities.
Last month Derby city councillor Sarah Chambers said she received a rape threat after announcing the authority would begin removing flags put up on bridges, walls and lamp-posts in a bid to prepare the area for seasonal and commemorative events.
Reform UK city councillor, and leader of Derbyshire County Council, Alan Graves, said the decision was ‘pandering to a far-left-wing agenda and against the average resident of Derby’.
In response, Ms Chambers added: ‘What I’m pandering to is public safety, public liability insurance and being responsible in my role.’
Earlier this month, Nottinghamshire County Council ended a ban on journalists from its biggest local newspaper from covering council events or receiving press releases after its publisher threatened legal action.
The authority said it was ‘committed to the principles of openness’ after lifting the sanctions it had placed on journalists from the Nottingham Post and its website, Nottinghamshire Live.
The ban was imposed by Mr Barton after he objected to an article about splits in his group over local government reorganisation plans.
But Reach plc accused the council of breaching local government regulations and article 10 of the European convention on human rights (ECHR), which protects freedom of expression and the right to express opinions ‘freely without government interference’.
Last October, the authority – then run by the Conservatives – warned it faced a budget shortfall of tens of millions of pounds over the next three financial years.
The council said that by 2027-28, it could have a cumulative funding gap of £76.2m – more than double an earlier estimate.
Last month the authority’s Overview Committee heard it is facing a £30m deficit in its special needs budget — after an £18.1m overspend in the 2024/25 financial year ‘exhausted’ reserves’.
