Whitchurch Town Hall Trustees have decided to keep its angled Union Jack flag after residents raised concerns.
Hung outside Whitchurch Town Hall, the cut-down version of the flag, designed to fall vertically, sparked debate on social media from residents who felt it was ‘horrendous’ and ‘an insult.’
The matter was taken to the Town Hall Trustees on December 22, who resolved to keep the flag.
In a post on Facebook, the Town Council said: “Trustees unanimously agreed to keep the current flag in place. The UK Flag Institute has confirmed that the flag is acceptable for a government building. The situation will be reviewed when the flag eventually needs replacing.”
Comments on Facebook criticising the flag included: ‘It looks awful cut up,’ ’What an insult to our national flag' and ‘did they buy that flag from Temu?’
They detailed that they considered feedback on their Facebook page, a comment received by email, verbal feedback from the public and ‘the fact that no one attended the meeting to raise concerns in person.’
The Town Council’s Facebook post also mentioned that they were ‘mindful of avoiding unnecessary expense’ and considered the Climate Emergency, ‘particularly in relation to waste, as the flag is still new.’
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This comes after the Town Council paid £275.80 for the flag and invested £3,503.55 for the removal and replacement of the flagpole.
In July, the council considered removing the flagpole altogether, but guidance from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council advised that it was a positive feature as part of the Town Hall’s character as a listed building.
