The Union Jack has been thrown back into the headlines this week after a 12-year-old girl was put in isolation for wearing the British flag to school. But at a time when the government is pushing for more flags to be flown across the country, there are rules households should know about, which, if broken, can lead to a £2,500 fine. The Government says it has relaxed the rules on flying flags, not just the Union Jack, but also the flags of England, Wales, Ireland and indeed any national flag at all.
Even the flags of the counties of Yorkshire are encouraged to be flown as part of the Government’s list of flags it wants to be flown more widely. As an aside, the Union Jack is often called ‘the Union Flag’, but both names are acceptable, even though the Jack has maritime heritage, and they still have to be flown in accordance with the law, or you could be fined.
The rules for flying a flag on a roof are very relaxed. The government says certain flags can be flown from rooftops of any size, as long as they meet certain conditions.
It says: “All flags must be:
be maintained in a condition that does not impair the overall visual appearance of the site
be kept in a safe condition
have the permission of the owner of the site on which they are displayed (this includes the Highway Authority if the sign is to be placed on highway land)
not obscure, or hinder the interpretation of official road, rail, waterway or aircraft signs, or otherwise make hazardous the use of these types of transport
be removed carefully where so required by the planning authority
The full list of flags that do not require consent are:
Any country’s national flag, civil ensign or civil air ensign
The flag of the Commonwealth, the United Nations or any other international organisation of which the United Kingdom is a member
A flag of any island, county, district, borough, burgh, parish, city, town or village within the United Kingdom
The flag of the Black Country, East Anglia, Wessex, any Part of Lincolnshire, any Riding of Yorkshire or any historic county within the United Kingdom
The flag of Saint David (Wales)
The flag of Saint Patrick (Ireland)
The flag of any administrative area within any country outside the United Kingdom
Any flag of His Majesty’s forces
The Armed Forces Day flag
The government adds: “There are no restrictions on the size of flag.”
However, if you’re flying the flag from a pole protruding from any part of a building other than the roof, there are stricter rules. The Town and Country Planning Regulations 2007 set out that there are rules for a maximum size for flags flying on your house if it’s on a pole, not on the roof.
The government adds: “The flag may not exceed 2 square metres in size. No restrictions on the size of characters. Consent is required if the flagpole is in a controlled area.”
Consent is required if you live in a controlled area, too, such as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Those failing to comply with the rules could be reported and, ultimately, fined up to £2,500 for refusing to obey requests from your local council to remove an oversized flag.
The law states: “a person displaying an advertisement in contravention of these Regulations shall be liable, on summary conviction of an offence under section 224(3) of the Act, to a fine of an amount not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale and, in the case of a continuing offence, one tenth of level 4 on the standard scale [£2,500] for each day during which the offence continues after conviction.”
This week, 12-year-old Courtney Wright told how she was stopped from wearing a Spice Girl-inspired Union Jack dress to celebrate Britishness on a cultural day at her school.
