Birmingham City Council is facing a potential £2.6 million bill to remove thousands of flags placed on lamp posts and other public infrastructure across the city.
The council estimates that around 20,000 unauthorised flags are currently attached to street furniture, with the removal operation costing around £132 per flag.
The figures have emerged ahead of a High Court hearing on Tuesday, September 8, where the council will ask for an injunction aimed at stopping people from attaching flags and banners to public infrastructure without permission.
The council says the legal action is being taken because of concerns over public safety, staff welfare and incidents involving people carrying out the removal work.
According to the council, contractors have faced harassment and intimidation while attempting to remove flags. It says some removal work has had to take place at night and that police support has been required in some circumstances.
The council says relying on police officers to accompany removal teams is not a sustainable long-term solution.
The estimated £2.6 million cost has also attracted attention because of Birmingham’s ongoing financial difficulties. The authority is carrying more than £3.5 billion in debt and increased council tax by 4.99% earlier this year.
Councillor Jane Baston, Birmingham City Council’s cabinet member for equalities, communities and social justice, said the council was taking a “lawful, proportionate and evidence-led approach”.
She said the priority was to protect public safety, staff and contractors, community cohesion and the responsible use of public money. The council has also stressed that its legal action is not a ban on national flags.
Instead, the application focuses on unauthorised attachments to highways, lamp posts and other public infrastructure. Flags displayed legally on private property are not covered by the council’s application.
The flags have been linked to the Raise the Colours campaign, which has encouraged the display of St George’s Cross and Union flags in public places.
The group’s co-founder Ryan Bridge is among those named in the council’s legal action. Birmingham’s application follows similar legal action in Oxfordshire concerning unauthorised flag displays.
The first hearing of Birmingham City Council’s interim injunction application is due to take place at 10.30 am on Tuesday, September 8, at Birmingham Civil & Family Justice Centre on Bull Street.
The court’s decision could determine what happens to the thousands of flags currently displayed on public infrastructure across Birmingham.
