FI16246

Request

For the period from 1 July 2025 to the latest date for which records are held at the time of your search (please state the end date used), please provide:

1. The total recorded spend incurred by the Council in removing unauthorised flags from public land or the highway, broken down (if held) by: staff time/recharge rates, contractor costs, vehicles/materials, disposal, overtime.

2. The number of incidents/jobs where unauthorised flags were removed, with date and ward or postcode sector for each (no exact addresses required).

3. The job/incident category codes and cost centre/recharge codes used for these removals (e.g. fly-posting/illegal signage/unauthorised banner).

4. The current schedule of rates (or equivalent) used by the Council/its contractor for removal of illegal signage/flags.

5. Any policy/guidance/SOP in force during the period for identifying and removing unauthorised flags, including the legal basis (e.g. Highways Act 1980 s132 / Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regs 2007). 

If you do not hold a discrete “flag” category, please extract cases recorded under flyposting/illegal signage/unauthorised banners where the free-text notes contain “flag”, “Union Jack”, “St George’s Cross”, “England flag” (or combinations thereof) for the period.

Response

The Council has not removed any unauthorised flags during the time period stated and therefore does not hold the information you have requested.  Flags placed on the highway may have been removed by Kent County Council who are the highway authority for our District so you may wish to contact them at freedomofinformation@kent.gov.uk.