The village is in the neighbouring county to where Operation Raise the Colours began gaining momentum.
Flags will be removed by another council (Image: Getty)
Plans to remove St George flags over “safety” in a Midlands village will spark anger among residents, a councilor has warned. Wythall Parish Council in Worcestershire said it will “work towards the removal of flags” after Armistice Day on November 11.
It said after careful consideration at a meeting on September 18, councillors concluded the flags were hung “without choice, discussion, or democratic process—principles which the parish council believes lie at the heart of our community’s values”. It added: “Concerns were also raised regarding public safety, particularly where flags have been attached to lampposts using unsafe methods, creating risks for both those installing them and the wider public.”
However, the move was slammed as a waste of taxpayer money by the Conservative Group Leader at Worcestershire County Council, Adam Kent, reports Birmingham Live.
He said flags on the Reform-run county council post would remain, and warned it could trigger anger among residents.
He said: “By announcing plans to remove flags from their lampposts after Armistice Day, they’ve triggered anger and even abuse for parish staff. The reality is they can only touch their own posts, while flags on county council posts will remain.
“That makes the whole exercise pointless and a waste of taxpayers’ money. Common sense would have been to leave the flags alone and ask those who put them up to remove them when tattered.”
He added: “Instead, this has fuelled division—especially when Reform at County Hall insists the flags should stay.This decision will encourage even more people to put up even more flags, honestly some people just shouldn’t do politics!”
Before November 11, the parish council will investigate the cost of removing the flags and allow residents to submit requests for flags to be removed from outside their homes.
It has also invited people who hung the flags to “come forward and engage constructively” with the council.
Wythall is located in the county neighboring Birmingham City Council, where the Raise the Colors campaign gathered speed after workers removed flags from the street furniture.
Many Brits have made it their mission to line the streets with flags in previous weeks, although it has split opinion, with many saying the flags are being used as a signal of division rather than a symbol of patriotism.
