ONLY three flags will now be flown outside Warwickshire County Council’s headquarters.
Just the Union Flag, the St George’s Cross and the County Flag of Warwickshire will fly outside Shire Hall in Warwick, while future decision making about flags has been stripped from the council’s chief executive Monica Fogarty and put into the hands of WCC chairman, Coun Edward Harris.
The move follows a row over the decision to fly a Progress Pride Flag outside Shire Hall during Pride Month in June.
Coun George Finch had asked for the flag to be removed when he was elected as leader of the council, but Ms Fogarty refused.
The council’s cabinet voted to hand the decision-making power to Reform councillor, Coun Harris at a recent Cabinet meeting.
The Pride Progress flag is a redesigned rainbow flag, with additional colours to represent a wider range of marginalised communities.
Coun Finch says the move has been made in the name of unity, taking it out of the hands of the elected leader and the non-elected members and putting into the hands of the council chairman.
But leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition, Coun Jerry Roodhouse, dismissed suggestions decisions would be non-political.
He said: “I’ve never seen a chairman yet go against their political party in a council meeting, in a chamber, anywhere. So don’t give me that rubbish.”
Jonathan Chilvers, leader of the Green group, asked if the leader would reassure people that come into the building or seek work in the building they would not be judged on their sexuality, but rather their work and their character.
Coun Finch responded: “This is the point of common sense. It’s not about the colour of your skin, your sexuality, who you love, it’s not about any of that. It’s about whether you can do the job.
“This county, everyone that’s in it, is identified by three things. the United Kingdom, England and our county.”
Coun Finch did not rule out other flags flying in the future, suggesting such decisions would be at the discretion of the chair.
