FI16474

Request

1. How many complaints have been made to your council about Union Jack flags or St George's flags which have been attached to lampposts since the start of August 2025? 

2. In addition to that, are you able to share any snippets of what complainants have said in their correspondence - have they said they feel threatened by the flags, or that they want them taken down?

Response

1. Three.  Please note that the majority of lampposts within our District are the responsibility of the highway authority and they may have received additional complaints.  The highway authority for our District is Kent County Council, and they can be contacted at freedomofinformation@kent.gov.uk.

2. As follows:

  • I would like to complain about the amount of Union Jack/ St George Cross flags that I have seen in public places around my home town recently. I feel intimidated by them because of the timing they have been placed there. I feel intimidated as they are being used by a far right movement to essentially say that certain ethnic minorities are not welcome in our town. I pay my council tax and I don't see why I should be subjected to looking at them and being reminded on a daily basis of the hate and division that is currently being created in my country. They are being put up in public places which are looked after by the council and leaving them there makes me think that you are sympathetic towards this cause.
  • I am complaining about the Union Jack flags hanging on all the Aylesham street lamps. As Aylesham comes under DDC I feel it is part of your responsibility to do something about it.I feel personally that it comes over as very hostile and threatening. I have no objection for the flag being hung for the right occasions but the meaning and reason of flying them here is in my opinion not right. It is sending out a very divisive message and could lead to riots and anti social behaviour or worse. The flying of these flags could provoke residents of Aylesham to think they are in the right to take things into their own hands with all the consequences we have seen elsewhere in the country. In my opinion it would be wise to nip this sort of behaviour in the bud before that happens. I would be grateful if you could respond to my email. I don't feel welcome in Aylesham and I shan't be shopping there until I've heard the flags have been removed.
  • Hello there, I am writing to ask why a number of St George's flags have been allowed to be placed upon lampposts in the Mill Hill area of Deal, and to request these be taken down immediately. As we know, the rise of the far-right is rising dramatically in this country (fuelled by hate and the media) and sights like these are not OK. Hanging flags that relate to and represent this twisted ideology are not OK, but also from a legal perspective, have they applied for permission to do this? Please, I urge you to remove these at once. They are at the top end of Mill Hill, by the Tesco Express. Thank you.