MP voices flag concerns as council plans removal

More St George's flags have been put up around York in recent days, including by the city's Minster

A MP has called for the immediate removal of flags put up in York, as the local council estimated it would cost £250,000 to take them down.

A number of Union, St George's and Yorkshire flags have been put up across the city in recent weeks - mirroring a national trend.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell said the flags were being used by some "to rally those who suppress the rights of others and perpetrate acts of hate".

A spokesperson for Flag Force, one of the groups behind the nationwide initiative, said they "deplored" racism, before adding that people in York "deserve leaders who defend their heritage and use public money responsibly".

A number of flags have been put up in York city centre in recent days, including around the Minster, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

York Council initially said it would not take down Union and England flags when they first appeared tied to lampposts and other street furniture in August.

However, the local authority has now said they will be pulled down over a period of time amid safety concerns, with one having obscured a city centre CCTV camera.

Maskell said since the flags had gone up she had received "reports of many community altercations and incidents of verbal abuse" with some people "too frightened to leave their homes".

She said: "Let us be clear, these flags are more than just a flag of our country, for some they have been used to rally those who suppress the rights of others and perpetrate acts of hate."

Speaking to LDRS, Joseph Moulton, one of the co-founders of Flag Force, condemned racist incidents as "deplorable" and said those responsible for them were "letting their country down".

He added: "British people do not need permission to fly their flag in their country, if you're offended by the Union flag, St George's cross and Yorkshire flag maybe you should reconsider the country you live in considering, they're our national symbols."

MP Rachael Maskell said some people had used the flag to "perpetrate acts of hate"

Claire Douglas, City of York Council leader, said the cost of flag removals could fill more than 3,300 potholes and "provide almost 12,000 hours of care for older and disabled residents".

The authority wanted "to find ways for our national flags to be flown properly and respectfully", Douglas added.

Meanwhile, she said that roundabouts, pedestrian crossings or buildings that had been targeted with graffiti would be cleaned up "as a matter of priority".

The council's deputy leader, Pete Kilbane, told the BBC that there was a "suspicion" the flags were being used to "cause division"

Speaking on BBC Radio York, he said it was a "shame" organisers had not approached the authority first before hanging flags without permission.

He said: "We all love the flag. England won 5 - 0 last night. We all thoroughly enjoyed that and we get behind the team and the flag.

"There is a suspicion among some people that it's being used to cause division, whereas the flag is the thing that unites us all as a country. It's not appropriate what they're doing."

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