Lamp-post flags in Wythall to come down

A parish council has announced it will remove all unauthorised flags hanging from lamp-posts that it owns – but will allow them to fly until Armistice Day.

Wythall Parish Council in Worcestershire said arguments for and against keeping them had been considered at its meeting on 18 September.

It said in the end it was agreed “the flags had been installed without choice, discussion or democratic process”.

The flags would be allowed to remain up until 11 November, and the council said residents who “wish to express their pride by flying the national flag” could hoist them on private land instead.

The council said it planned to remove “unauthorised” flags on lamp-posts that come under its direct control, but will investigate the costs first. Work will start after Armistice Day, costs permitting.

Over the summer, a wave of flags were flown from lamp-posts and painted on roundabouts, with those responsible saying it was a demonstration of national pride.

But others have said the flags felt provocative at a time when tensions were running high across England over the issue of immigration.

The parish council said concerns had been raised about public safety, “particularly where flags have been attached to lamp-posts using unsafe methods”.

It added it “remains committed to upholding community choice, safety, and the respectful and appropriate display of our nation’s flag”.

The decision to allow the flags to remain until Armistice Day was taken to allow the community to “come together to commemorate those who have fought for our country and the freedoms we enjoy”.

In the meantime, the council invited the people who put the flags up to come forward and “engage constructively” in the process.

The councils said it respected the “range of public feelings on the matter” and added: “We warmly support appropriate displays on private property, such as gardens, vehicles, and windows, where the choice lies with the individual.”

The BBC spoke to a number of people in Wythall, with views on the subject mixed.

Resident Dawn Waldon said: “I understand that there are some connotations to why people have put the flags up there and I do think we should be patriotic, but not sure we need all of these flags.”

She said people should have the freedom to express themselves, but if the council felt the need to take them down “then so be it”.

Another woman said: “It adds something to the neighbourhood, it’s very patriotic.”

She also said: “It gets people talking about things that they probably wouldn’t have spoken about before”, and she felt there was “nothing untoward” about them.

But she said she thought there should be fewer flags.