Plans to allow a variety of flags to be flown from the Mansion House have attracted strongly-worded opposition.
City of York Council has applied for permission to fly “community flags and other flags” from the flagpole atop the official residence of York’s Lord Mayor.
A statement to planners says: “Community flags and other flags are flags which bear a direct relevance to the city and its residents and support the One City, For All, the City of York Council’s Council Plan (2023-2027).
“Such flags can include, but not limited to, York Pride, Trans Awareness and UNESCO City of Media Arts.”
Under the UK’s flag-flying legislation, certain flags do not need consent, for example:
- any country’s national flag, civil ensign or civil air ensign
- the flag of the Black Country, East Anglia, Wessex, any Part of Lincolnshire, any Riding of Yorkshire or any historic county within the United Kingdom
- any flag of His Majesty’s forces.
There are also flags which do not require consent “provided they comply with certain restrictions”, for example:
- a house flag, which is allowed to display the name, emblem, device or trademark of the company (or person) occupying the building
- any sports club
- the Rainbow flag (6 horizontal equal stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet)
- the NHS flag.
But any flag not covered by the above categories “requires express consent from the local planning authority before it can be flown”.
The council is asking for a general consent to fly any flag – provided: “All requests to fly a flag are put in writing to the City of York Council and describe the reason why this has been requested and an image of the flag if applicable and duration.
“All requests to fly flags have to be agreed by the political Group Leaders and the Lord Mayor.”
Four York residents have objected to the application.
One says: “I wish to object most strongly to the planning application seeking blanket permission to fly any flags that the council deem suitable.
“As an army veteran I find this highly inappropriate on a Grade I listed 18th century civic building.
“In the centre of York this flag pole should retain decorum and gravitas and to this end the flags flown should be restricted to those not requiring consent.”
Another says: “It is bad enough that this current administration is marginalising the role of the Lord Mayor and the historic Mansion House, but to have unlisted politicised vanity flags being allowed to be flown rubs salt into the wounds.
“It appears part of a concerted campaign to remove any dignity from the non-political governance role from the Lord Mayor and his/her (in theory) residence.
“The flag pole on the Mansion House should not be used as a political pawn.”
And a third writes: “I wish to object on the grounds that this approval will allow York Council to lawfully indulge in its biased flying of ‘virtue signalling’ flags which it has hitherto being doing in breach of planning regulations.”
In its statement, the City of York Council adds: “As a general rule all flags are flown either on the day they support/commemorate or for no more than one week. This is to allow the city or other permitted flags to be flown.
“Excluding the permitted flag flying dates the current number of requests to fly additional flags annually on specific dates stand at four. In addition to this the City Council may receive request which are not for annual flag flying.”
You can read the application and comment here.