The cost of dismantling flags positioned on lampposts without proper approval should be met by the individuals responsible for installing them, the Liberal Democrat MP for Didcot and Wantage has indicated.
This remark follows a Reform party councillor’s assertion that the removal of Union and St George’s cross flags represented an unnecessary expense after they resurfaced on Station Road in Didcot within a week of their initial removal.
MP Olly Glover voiced mounting frustration regarding the situation close to Didcot Parkway while challenging the councillor’s remarks.
Mr Glover commented that it was pleasing to witness national flags flying at sanctioned locations including public buildings and designated flag poles, with many local residents and businesses choosing to display the flag to mark St George’s Day and celebrate their common culture and values.
He further noted that he had recently been contacted by numerous people expressing annoyance that despite efforts by council and GWR staff to clear flags from the station area, the flags had returned.
Mr Glover expressed that it was right and proper for councils to remove flags attached to public property without authorization and to pursue legal remedies against those responsible.
He emphasised that upholding the law should not be described as an unnecessary expense.
He added that the cost of removing flags, or any other items, positioned on public land without consent should fall on those who placed them there rather than on council taxpayers.
When flags were put back up on Station Road the preceding week by an organisation named Raise the Colours, further flags appeared in additional locations, including Saxton Road in Abingdon, and in Shillingford, Benson and Brightwell-cum-Sotwell.
The organisation maintains it is installing flags across the county to encourage patriotism, though it has encountered criticism with allegations of intimidating and aggressive behaviour from some of its members towards members of the public and council staff.
During the previous month, the county council issued a formal legal notice to Raise the Colours Oxfordshire in an attempt to halt further flag placements.
Didcot South county councillor Hao Do from Reform labelled the legal notice absurd.
He remarked that these flags were not prohibited and that the council’s expenditure on their removal was wasteful, suggesting they should be permitted to remain as they represented national flags that were not offensive.
A Raise the Colours Oxfordshire spokesperson stated that the group formed part of a wider national movement aiming to peacefully amplify the concerns of British people who increasingly felt like strangers in their own country.
The spokesperson explained that their goal was to highlight these grievances while promoting joy and togetherness through the nation’s flags.
Previously, a county council spokesperson confirmed the authority was cognisant of flags appearing in Didcot, Benson, Shillingford and Abingdon.
They noted that in March a formal legal notice had been issued to Raise the Colours instructing them to stop placing flags on or adjacent to highways without consent.
They added that they were considering all potential remedies to prevent further unauthorised activity, which could involve civil and criminal legal action.