Taxi union jack ban set to be lifted

Driver John "Basil" Brockhurst had campaigned for the change

A ban on taxis displaying union jack flags in the Shropshire Council area could be lifted within days.

It follows a campaign by a Market Drayton driver who was told he could not display the flag on his cab.

Changes to Shropshire Council's policy on displaying flags will be discussed by councillors on Thursday with a recommendation to change the rules immediately.

However, a council report detailing the planned changes said there was a risk passengers would be "concerned for their own safety" due to the flag's "known appropriation by those with nationalist and right wing sentiments".

The authority's head of business and consumer protection, Frances Darling, said strict limits would remain on the use of flags on private hire vehicles and hackney carriages.

Only the union jack would be permitted and only a single copy on any given car while "no other flags or emblems will be allowed".

Ms Darling's report said this was to ensure visibility through windows and that licensing information was not obscured.

The report also suggested there could be an economic impact if passengers decided to "cancel their original booking and look to find a different driver/vehicle" because it displayed the flag.

The change would also put Shropshire out of kilter with neighbouring councils which maintained a ban, it added.

It continued the policy was being changed without consultation.

'Not given enough scrutiny'

Senior councillors and North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan backed the change after John "Basil" Brockhurst was told to remove flags during an inspection.

He also displayed the flag of St George, which still would not be allowed under the revised policy.

The deputy leader of the council, Ian Nellins, previously said the original 200 pages of rules were not given enough scrutiny before being approved last year.

"I think... they didn't look at the fine detail of what this included and it didn't raise its head," he said.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.