Reform promised to cut ‘wasteful spending’ but now plans to spend thousands on flags
Reform-led Nottinghamshire County Council has said it will spend £75,000 on putting up 164 Union flags around the county.
Before the local elections in May, Reform promised to slash wasteful spending and make council services more efficient.
The decision will not go to a vote, but councillors have five days to object to the plan.
The 164 union jack flags will be displayed at a cost of about £457 per flag including brackets, traffic management and cherry pickers.
Reform has yet to confirm who the flags, brackets and other necessary supplies and labour will be procured from.
Labour councillor Helen Faccio said: “We heard when Reform came to power, that they would make council services more efficient and cut wasteful spending.
“Then we hear about huge spending on flags. My residents would say we should spend money filling potholes or investing in youth clubs.”
Faccio added that “at the moment, flags are being used to divide us and that is not good for our community.”
The Reform leader of the council, Mick Barton (pictured), has defended the decision, saying it will help “strengthen community spirit and cohesion”.
Conservative councillor and leader of the Opposition, Sam Smith said he “loves” seeing flags flying, but added that: “We don’t need to be spending on this when we can be spending money on protecting taxpayer services like libraries, buses and youth services.”
In August, an ally of far-right figure Tommy Robinson, Andrew Currien, also known as Andy Saxon, launched the Operation Raise the Colours campaign in Birmingham.
The campaign aims to “cover every town, city and village in the UK” with British and England flags. It has been endorsed by the far-right party Britain First.
The party’s leader, Paul Golding, said that it has donated 75% of its flag stock to local teams in Manchester and the West Midlands.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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