Wakefield: Union Jack to remain on council buildings as St George's flag and Yorkshire rose flown once a year
Wakefield Council has voted in favour of continuing to fly the Union Jack flag from all of its major buildings across the district.
Councillors also agreed for the St George’s flag to be flown from local authority buildings on April 23 and Yorkshire’s white rose on August 1 every year.
The vote was held after the council’s opposition leader called for it to become compulsory for the flag of St George to be flown on all schools and public buildings.
Nadeem Ahmed said the move would help prevent England’s national flag being “misappropriated by groups seeking to divide communities and promote intolerance.”
The Tory councillor proposed a motion which he said would help cultural groups within Wakefield to “take back the flag” as a shared emblem of pride.
The Labour-controlled council instead voted for an amended motion which removed the requirement for it to become compulsory for schools to display the flag.
The motion retained Coun Ahmed’s earlier proposal for the council to promote educational resources explaining the history of St George as an immigrant figure and how the flag “represents unity rather than division.”
Coun Ahmed, leader of Conservative and Independent group, accused the Labour of “butchering” his original motion as they debated the issue at a full council meeting.
He said: “My interest is in the education of young people and the future generations of this country, who probably couldn’t tell you who St George was. We have taken away civic pride – (if) you’ve put your flag up now, you are (labelled) a racist.
“Who is deciding who is racist and who is not? They are things that people should be proud of displaying, not ashamed, ridiculed or forced into a corner.
“Everyone should feel free to display the flags. There should be one on government institutions – the institutions that are funded by the taxpayer in this country.
“The schools are funded by the taxpayers. It’s only right that the children, and us, come across the flags on a daily basis, and we bring back that pride in the country.
“If anyone’s got a problem with that then they need to question what they stand for. They are the basic fundamental things of the country.”
St George flags and union flags have appeared across the district in recent weeks. Others have been painted on street furniture, roundabouts and bus stations.
The council, like others across the country, previously said it was taking a “safety-first approach” and removing any which posed a risk to road users, pedestrians or public safety.
Earlier this month, a public consultation was launched seeking residents’ views before the authority shaped further policy on flag flying.
Introducing the amended motion, Coun Appleyard said: “We are aware just how important this issue is right across the district.
“With flags raised up and down streets and red crosses painted on zebra crossings and roundabouts across the district, I’m sure many of us will have had e-mails from residents sharing their views and concerns about it.
“It is worth repeating that the St George’s flag is a symbol of unity as well as national pride. Sadly we have seen some, but not all, use this flag to try and create division. To try to intimidate, to try to cause fear.
“That is what leads us to amend councillor Ahmed’s motion to include an unequivocal rejection of this use of the flag.
“We need to be clear to everyone across the district – Wakefield Council does not and will not tolerate intimidation and fear of people of different faiths, or different countries of birth. The flag belongs to us all.”
Coun Appleyard said the council’s current policy was to fly the union flag from all major authority buildings.
She added: “To have the St George’s flag on every building, as the original motion suggested, would be costly and impractical in terms of upkeep.
“We cannot let the seeds of division grow in our richly diverse communities.”
Explaining the reason for not making schools display flags, she said: “Part of democracy is people’s free choices, and schools’ free choices. If schools want to do that, brilliant. It’s not our job to enforce it.”