County Council resources to be directed to filling potholes rather than removing lamppost flags

Deteriorating England flags on lampposts in Erewash. Image from Greg Maskalick.

Derbyshire council resources will be directed toward filling potholes rather than removing flags installed on lampposts, its Reform UK leadership has said.

During a Derbyshire County Council meeting on Wednesday, October 7th, Erewash’s Labour Mayor, Councillor Greg Maskalick, asked about action on “torn and weather-beaten” deteriorating flags – no longer flying – attached to lampposts after being installed “illegally”, mostly in the summer of 2025.

In response, Councillor Charlotte Hill, Reform’s cabinet member for highways, said the authority had not been informed about any “dangerous” flags in Erewash and would be standing by its policy since last summer.

Cllr Hill said: “It’s clear that the council’s highways policy sets out a risk-based approach to managing these sorts of issues, including flags being attached to streetlights, so that we can ensure that our roads and pavements are safe for everyone to use.

“Where we are made aware of flags that have been attached to lamp posts, we will assess to see if they pose a danger to the public and only remove them if they do pose a danger.”

During the meeting, Cllr Maskalick said Derby City Council had chosen to take action and remove flags attached to lampposts “illegally”, saying there was now a “double standard” in the county with different interpretations of legal and statutory duties.

The city council had removed approximately 2,300 England and Union Jack flags as of July this year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service found.

Cllr Maskalick said there was now a legal precedent by which the county could do the same, and asked what action was being taken to avoid operational liabilities and a “free for all” of “unregulated flags and advertisements” being installed in the future.

In response, Cllr Hill said: “Time and time again I’ve had to stand up in this chamber and defend our decision as an administration to leave the flags flying across our county, against the Labour Party.

“For me, it is such a concern that the Labour Party and Labour Party councillors like yourself think it is important to come here and to talk about enforcing the flag of this country.

“I would be ashamed of you if you were my local councillor and if I was a Labour voter

“I think you should be looking more at what you can do to benefit Erewash as a Labour Mayor, until the elections next year.

“We are enforcing our policy. Labour-run Derby city have chosen to take down the flags because they are the Labour Party.

“We’ve chosen to support our communities, to leave the flag of this country flying and to put our resources into filling potholes instead.”

Cllr Maskalick said: “I have no objection to people flying our national flags with pride, but pride in a flag should include looking after it and hanging it legally. 

“Leaving torn and weather-beaten flags hanging on lamp posts shows neither respect for the flag nor respect for our public spaces.”