COUNCILLORS have agreed to take a stance on the flying of the Union flag and St George’s Cross in Wellington.

Members of Wellington Town Council agreed to a new directive that there is nothing wrong with people flying the flags from their own homes and gardens, but that they should not be hung up from lampposts.

Councillors met on Monday (October 6) for the council’s monthly meeting where they discussed the ongoing situation where Wellington has been festooned with flags.

Many people have welcomed the display of flags as celebrating national pride, but others have said they have links to far right groups nationally and given examples of threatening, abusive and racist behaviour towards them if they have questioned why they are being flown.

Council chief executive, Dave Farrow, had compiled a draft report setting out the authority’s position on the flags which was supported by the council’s community committee last month.

His draft report suggested the council supported those who want to fly flags from “their homes, businesses or other personal property, but not from streetlights or on road markings.” The report said that defacing road markings in any form was an offence under the Highways Act 1980.

Councillors voted in favour of the report on October 6.

Cllr Justin Cole said the statement put together by the council’s chief executive was a “very balanced response.”

And he added: “We have to keep it in the context of why the flags are being put up and at the moment that context is linked with far right views.”

Cllr Keith Wheatley said the flags were going up at a time when there were a lot of “unpleasant vibes” on social media.

“I’m patriotic, but I’m not in support of the flag situation,” he said. “Let’s not pretend they are being put up for patriotic reasons.

“There are people in this town who’ve told me that they feel intimidated and unwelcomed by some.”

But Cllr John Thorne said he felt the statement by the council over the flags was “sitting on the fence.”

“Some people like the flags and some people don’t,” he said. “Personally I don’t see how the flags can be seen as intimidating or exclusionary.

“We all know why the flags are going up and by people who are asking as to what is happening to the country.

“I don’t object to the flags, but I do object to the flags which are up at The Basins nature reserve and are an abomination.”

Cllr Catherine Govier-Wiggins, in response to Cllr Thorne’s remarks, said: “We are not sitting on the fence.

“We recognise that there are occasions when we can be patriotic and put up flags. But we’re hearing about people feeling intimidated and threatened.

“We want Wellington to be a safe place for everyone to live and work – not just white people.”

Cllr Mike McGuffie added: “I think nature will eventually take its course and the flags will be blown down and the people will get bored of putting them up.”