GLA criticises law change that “effectively banned” EU flag being flown from public buildings
The Greater London Assembly has criticised a 2021 law change that it claims "effectively banned the European flag being flown" after its plans to fly the flag on the anniversary of the Brexit vote were scuppered by the "long and bureaucratic planning process" needed to obtain consent.
The GLA was looking to fly the flag from City Hall on Friday (23 June) to mark the seventh anniversary of the Brexit vote but was prevented from doing so by regulations which require advertisement consent from the local planning authority beforehand.
The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007 set out which flags can be flown from UK public buildings without acquiring consent. These include all four nations' flags, the Commonwealth flag, the United Nations and more.
A set of 2021 regulations removed the flag of the European Union from this list due to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.
"Following the UK's departure from the European Union, the flag of the European Union is no longer included in the list of flags that do not require consent," a Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities guide to flag flying says.
As a result of the law change, raising the EU flag on a public building without obtaining consent is now a criminal offence under planning legislation.
The prosecutor for this offence would be the local planning authority, which in the case of the GLA is the London Borough of Newham.
Commenting on the situation, a City Hall source said: "The Mayor is proud to fly flags from City Hall - from the Union flag to the Ukraine flag in recent times. Flying a flag is a way of showing solidarity, expressing our values, and showing pride in the identities we share."
It added: "With over a million people calling London their home from other European countries it's extraordinary that the Government has effectively banned the European flag being flown without going through a long and bureaucratic planning process.
"Europeans contribute hugely to our social and economic life, and all we wanted to do was show our gratitude with a small gesture for one day of the year."
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has been approached for comment.
Adam Carey
