Councils across Britain have spent more than £60,000 tearing down flags including Union Flags and St George’s Crosses this year, new data shows. The wave of removals follows a surge of grassroots activism under the Raise the Colours campaign, which has seen residents putting up patriotic flags across towns and villages.
A Freedom of Information request sent to 383 councils revealed that 36 local authorities spent £61,770 on removing flags, with 583 incidents recorded across 276 areas. East Riding of Yorkshire Council carried out the most clean-ups, removing 91 flags at a cost of up to £6,100. City of York Council spent £16,378 clearing five separate displays, while Cambridgeshire County Council reported costs of £8,634 across 40 sites.
Supporters of the campaign say they are promoting pride in Britain’s national symbols. But critics, including the Government-funded group Hope Not Hate, claim the movement is linked to “well-known racists and extremists”.
Hope Not Hate has previously targeted Reform UK candidates, Conservative MPs and former London Mayoral candidate Susan Hall, while insisting it is non-partisan.
The figures were uncovered by researcher Pablo O’Hana, who said the true national total is likely to be higher, as many councils failed to record their costs. Liberal Democrat MP Adam Dance warned councils were facing a “behind-the-scenes financial crisis” over the flag removals.
He said: “Flag removals being soaked up by other teams like neighbourhood and highways may keep services moving in the short term but it hides the true cost and warps resourcing. Taxpayers have the right to know where and how their money is being spent.”
An East Riding of Yorkshire Council spokesperson said the cost of removing “unauthorised red crosses” had risen from £2,543 to £6,100, adding: “We are committed to removing any unsafe or unauthorised displays that could distract or confuse drivers.”
Cambridgeshire County Council said it had since begun the process of reclaiming its costs from contractors.
