During a council meeting this week, two Greater Manchester councillors asked for flags to be removed from lamp-posts after a number of residents expressed concerns about them
A pair of councillors in a Greater Manchester town have asked for flags attached to lamp-posts to be taken down.
England flags and Union Jacks have appeared across Greater Manchester and beyond in recent months as part of the “Operation Raise the Colours” campaign, encouraging people to put up flags in public places. During a council meeting this week, Jon Byrne, a councillor from the Manor ward of Stockport, addressed the issue, saying that many residents had been in touch “to express their upsetting concern” about flags being put up in the area.
He said at the meeting: “We need to make a stand and we need to show that any form of racism is unacceptable, even when dressed up as patriotism. I will re-ask as I have done countless times over the past few months, take the flags down without delay.”
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Mr Byrne was supported by his Labour colleague Councillor Claire Vibert, who represents the Heatons South ward, reports the Manchester Evening News. She said: “Sometimes it’s hard but we have to just do the right thing, so I just wanted to lend my voice to the request from councillor Byrne that the flags are taken down and that we show our communities that we don’t tolerate acts that are intended to intimidate others members of our community.”
In September, the council issued a statement about its position on flags in public spaces, saying that they will stay in place unless they pose a safety risk or have slogans written over them. They could also be removed in future if they become damaged or worn out, the council said.
Councillor Mark Roberts, who was appointed leader of Stockport Council in May 2025, said: “I do understand your concerns about the flags, and I can honestly say it hasn’t been an easy situation to navigate. But like councils across the country, we have been reflecting on the best way to respond to protest activity and to flags on our street furniture without further inflaming community tensions.
“This has been an ongoing discussion between myself, cabinet, leading council officers and Greater Manchester Police and community partners. For now, flags may remain in place, but we continue to monitor this and where flags pose a safety risk or have slogans written on them, we will actively remove them.
“It’s also likely that they will need to be removed in due course once they become damaged and worn, and graffiti will be dealt with as we always have as a council. One of the factors that we considered in our response, was that in some areas where councils have taken a decision to remove flags, more appeared almost immediately, which risked increasing tensions, and the safety risk to our staff.”
He added: “There’s also a concern that removing them could send a signal that the flag itself is divisive, when in fact it represents us all.” After English flags started to appear across parts of the country over the summer, Downing Street said the Prime Minister is “absolutely” supportive of those who put them up.
“I think the PM has always talked about his pride of being British, the patriotism he feels,” Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said. “I think he’s talked about that previously […] not least recently in relation to the Lionesses’ successful campaign in the Euros. Patriotism will always be an important thing to him. We put up English flags all around Downing Street every time the English football team – women’s and men’s – are out trying to win games for us.”
The official government website said: “Flags are a very British way of expressing joy and pride – they are emotive symbols which can boost local and national identities, strengthen community cohesion and mark civic pride. The government wants to see more flags flown, particularly the Union Flag, the flag of the United Kingdom. It is a symbol of national unity and pride. The government has recently issued guidance encouraging the flying of the Union Flag on all UK government buildings throughout the year, alongside other national and local flags.
“We are keen for local authorities and other local organisations to follow suit. We have made it easier for the Union Flag to be flown alongside other flags, so organisations can highlight their local identities, as well as their national identities, and celebrate special days or events which champion civic pride.
“In England, the flying of flags is treated as advertisements for the purposes of the planning regime to ensure the flags do not impact on safety or amenity. Some flags require formal consent (permission) from the local planning authority, whereas others like the Union Flag do not.”