Reform UK-led Leicestershire County Council has removed dozens of Union and St George flags from lampposts because they were unsafe or in a “very poor condition”. The council is among several local authorities to have taken down flags from lampposts and other street furniture over safety concerns.
Flags removed across Leicestershire
The removals follow the appearance of Union and St George flags on streets across the country last summer. Activists behind the movement described the flags as a display of patriotism, while critics accused them of sowing division amid heightened tensions over immigration.
Labour MP for Loughborough Jeevun Sandher said he did not want to see flags “hanging tattily” from lampposts. Mr Sandher, who previously called on the local authority to remove flags, said he had renewed his call for flags in a bad condition to be taken down, according to the BBC.
MP and councillor responses
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Mr Sandher said flags should be flown “proudly” from flag poles, rather than being attached by cable ties to lampposts. The MP also said some of his constituents found the flags “unwelcoming” because they made them feel “uncomfortable in their own community”.
Flags have been removed from different areas of Leicestershire, according to the LDRS, with more in Whitwick expected to be taken away.
Council statement
Joseph Boam, Reform UK county councillor for the area, told the service: “I'm very much in favour of [flags] but not in favour of the ones that are ripped apart and look a mess.” He said he believes the flags are “patriotic” and would prefer to see them replaced with new flags, rather than removed completely.
A Leicestershire County Council spokesperson said: “We will take down flags when they are unsafe or in very poor condition. We do ask people not to attach anything to lampposts or any other road equipment for safety reasons.”
