Pride banners appear set to remain despite wrangle

Thirty Pride banners which appeared in towns across Calderdale will remain in place despite the council saying it did not approve their installation.

The banners show the Progress Pride flag alongside a QR code to report hate crime, with the £8,000 cost being met by a public funding campaign.

Councillor Sarah Courtney (Lab, Hebden Bridge and Todmorden East) said they were put up legally in advertising space but Calderdale Reform UK - which runs the council - posted it would "take legal actions" to remove them.

A Calderdale Council spokesperson said it "did not approve installation" of the banners but stopped short of saying they would be removed.

After the banners first appeared on lampposts in towns on 25 June, a post by Calderdale Reform UK appeared online.

It read: "Thank you to all those who have contacted us, regarding the Pride banners/flags which have appeared across Calderdale on street furniture.

"We will be moving to immediately remove the flags and take legal actions against those responsible, in order to recoup the removal costs."

Despite requests to speak to someone from the party no further explanation, or detail about the complaints, was provided.

Calderdale Council was contacted by the BBC on 25 June and on 30 June a spokesperson came back with an official comment.

It said: "The Council did not approve installation of these banners."

Courtney said: "These have been put up legally, by the company the council uses for banner advertising, and paid for by the community.

"These aren't flags that have been tied to lampposts, these are paid-for banners in licensed advertising space.

"I think for flags that have gone up on lampposts I totally support them being taken down because, as a previous Lead Member for Highways (on the council), I know that that's not allowed.

"And I wouldn't advocate people putting flags up on lampposts of any sort really."

She said the campaign began after the council told her the Pride flag would no longer be flown on official buildings.

"We have paid for 30 across Calderdale, spread around the borough to help promote that all people are welcome," she said.

Courtney said the banners in towns including Elland, Brighouse, Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden and Hebden Bridge, would be in place for a year.

Oxford Lane in Siddal was among many areas in Calderdale which had Union flags and the flag of St George hung without permission from lampposts last summer.

Many still remain.

On 22 June Calderdale Council's Governance and Business Committee voted 4-3 in favour of a new protocol for which flags should be flown above its buildings.

Previously there were several designated days for flags to be flown above Halifax Town Hall, including the King's birthday and St George's Day.

The revised list includes the flying of the Union Flag throughout the year and the use of just four others.

There are three omissions from the old list – International Day of Transgender Visibility, International Day against Homophobia and White Ribbon Day, which campaigns to reduce violence against women and girls.

The proposed policy does allows for "ad hoc" requests for other flags to be flown with council leader, Reform UK's Coun Daniel Sutherland, given final approval.

It will be considered at a full council meeting next month.

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