Flags on roundabouts can stay, says leader

Reform councillor Joanne Monk spoke on the growing trend of St George flags being flown, amid people painting roundabouts in the style of the flag too

St George's flags will remain on roundabouts and lampposts across Worcestershire - and workers are not being instructed to remove them, the county council leader says.

Joanne Monk, the Reform UK leader of Worcestershire County Council, said she believed the growing number of flags were a sign of patriotism and those behind them were not stoking division.

Her comments come in contrast to the council's highways lead councillor Karl Perks, who last week described the painting of roundsbout "illegal" and "acts of vandalism" that would cost the taxpayer to remove.

"I think people are proud to be English, and indeed British," Monk told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

"I have a union flag outside my property – it's hanging on my garage door at the moment because I haven't got my flagpole ready to go up."

She said it would be "flown with pride" once she had found someone to put it up, which had been quite difficult to do during the summer holidays.

Rows of St George's and union jack flags were put up on lampposts in part of south Birmingham in recent weeks, before spreading to other parts of the country.

Then some mini-roundabouts were painted with red crosses, with West Mercia Police confirming it was investigating incidents in Bromsgrove.

The flag movement gathered pace on social media, with the name Operation Raise the Flags, with those behind it saying they were motivated by pride and patriotism.

Others have expressed discomfort due to tensions running high across England over immigration and the St George cross often being used to promote far-right groups.

"I don't agree with the flags being associated purely with [the right wing]", Monk told the station.

"That's the right wing people that have done that - I am definitely not right wing, but I'm definitely a patriot," she added.

Monk said one of her reasons for not instructing council staff to remove flags was due to the additional cost of doing so.

"I've actually said they've got to stay because if we've got to go out and make a special journey with our team of highways officers to take flags down or to repaint islands, that's going to cost the taxpayer more money."

Joanne Monk believes flags attached to lammposts are a sign of patriotism

The flying of flags in England is treated as advertisements in council legislation to ensure they do not impact on safety and are flown in a convenient location, according to a government guide.

The Highways Act 1980 states it is an offence to affix items to structures on the highway without the consent of the highway authority. Under section 132(2) of the act, it states the highway authority can remove them.

'A question of context'

Ruth Forecast, from Malvern Welcomes, a charity that supports refugees in the Malvern Hills area, said the flags could be viewed differently depending on when and where they were seen.

"It's a question of context," she said, "and why someone is putting one up or painting one. It's what sort of statement it's making."

She said there seemed to be different kinds of statements made by people painting roundabouts as opposed to those wearing flags at football matches.

Her charity helps with things like learning English, finding employment and gaining qualifications.

"They find we're a very welcoming country, they're very grateful to the volunteers from our charity for the support we've given them," she said.

She added some refugees had put British flags up in their homes as a sign of gratitude for the help they'd been given.