England flag fire safety debate in Portsmouth

Calls for “sensible discretion” over removing England flags have emerged after Portsmouth City Council delayed a debate on its fire safety policy.

A discussion on Portsmouth City Council’s fire safety policy, including its zero-tolerance approach to flags in communal areas, has been deferred until August while officers “benchmark” the work of other councils.

The delay comes after controversy on Tuesday (July 14), when footage showed two council staff removing an England flag from the communal balcony of a council block.

The council had been due to discuss its fire safety policy at a cabinet member meeting on Wednesday (July 15), but councillor Darren Sanders, cabinet member for housing, announced the item had been postponed until August 5 so “the team can examine current practise in other councils so we can benchmark the work we’re doing against them”.

Sam Coupland, the recently elected Reform UK councillor for Charles Dickens ward, said he was glad the discussion had been rescheduled because lots of residents had contacted him “regarding flags specifically and policy around removing flags”.

He said that while he appreciated the council’s zero-tolerance approach to combustible materials in communal spaces, there should be “sensible discretion” when residents display “community spirit” during significant events.

He argued residents struggle to see the common sense when flags are permitted to hang from private windows but not from communal walkways.

While he agreed residents’ safety should be the “highest priority”, he said he believed “our sensitivity around certain celebratory events could be improved just to treat people with decency and also foster community pride.”

“We could have waited a couple of weeks until after the World Cup to take down flags,” he said.

Cllr Coupland also questioned whether the council had specific evidence to justify removing flags and asked whether it would reassess its approach “so that residents can continue to celebrate national events without unnecessary restrictions”.

Council officers said the zero-tolerance approach is clear cut which “helps with expectations and the enforcement of it”.

They acknowledged “it will cause some issues” but said they hoped residents would appreciate “that at the heart of it is a policy designed to keep all residents safe.”

Cllr Sanders reaffirmed that the policy “was put forward with the support of the fire service”.

He said fire safety requirements had increased following the Fire Safety Act 2021, introduced in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, which claimed 72 lives.

In closing, he said he was delighted that the Reform UK group is “particularly keen to make sure the Palestinian flag stays up on people’s balconies”.

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