With hundreds of St George’s and Union flags being tied to lampposts around south west Birmingham over recent weeks, Birmingham City Council has issued a statement on street lighting improvements to improve energy efficiency.
The statement issued on Tuesday (12th August) regarding the routine planned work, says that ‘unauthorised attachments’ are routinely removed and states: “People who attach unauthorised items to lampposts could be putting their lives and those of motorists and pedestrians at risk.”
Reaction to flags
The much talked about flags have been popping up around Weoley Castle, West Heath, Northfield and Bartley Green, proving to be a divisive issue on social media.
Many locals appear to support the display of pride in the English and Union flags – many donating time, flags or money to expand the display. One Facebook group member wrote: “I’m loving seeing the flags around Northfield etc, as we really don’t celebrate being British like we should. Keep them coming.”
However, some have expressed concern that the flying of the flags may have a political motivation and could cause more division in our communities. Another group member wrote: “The bloke doing it is positioning it as a proud, positive, community initiative. A cursory look at his profile will show his strident views on immigration.”
Whether intended or not, the flags have now become a political issue. The Birmingham Northfield Reform Facebook account has expressed support, saying: “It’s a group of fantastic people who are putting a smile on the communities, spreading positivity and proud.”
READ: Birmingham Dispatch | Who is responsible for all the flags in Northfield?
Local Conservative Party campaigners have also shown support for the flag flying.
Frankley Great Park Cllr Simon Morrall wrote an open letter to the council requesting that the flags be left until the end of August, citing celebration of VJ Day.
However, the statement from the council makes it clear that – while there are no plans to remove the flags specifically – they will be removed as and when the street lighting improvement works take place and routinely as any other attached items are.
The Birmingham City Council statement in full:
The city council is improving street lighting by upgrading streetlights to energy-efficient LED lighting.
This will reduce energy use and carbon emissions, and lower maintenance costs.
Work is due to begin imminently, and lamp columns need to remain free from attachments so work can be carried out as quickly and safely as possible.
Lampposts and other street furniture need to be protected which is why highways staff across the city removed around 200 advertising banners and flags that had been attached to lampposts since the start of this year.
They take down attachments from lampposts routinely, including advertising signs, bunting trails and flags.
People who attach unauthorised items to lampposts could be putting their lives and those of motorists and pedestrians at risk.
We continuing to do this every week and would ask that staff doing this work are allowed to continue this work unhindered.
Placing unauthorised attachments on street furniture, particularly tall structures like lampposts, can be dangerous (see below) – that is why the council always has to ‘stress test’ assets around any formal events or celebrations.
The Risks
Falling debris:
If a lamppost or its attachments fail, debris can fall on people or vehicles below, causing injuries or accidents.
Electrical hazards:
In some cases, lampposts may have electrical components, and attaching items could potentially interfere with these, creating electrical hazards.
Obscured visibility:
Flags attached to lampposts can obstruct visibility for drivers or pedestrians, increasing the risk of accidents.
Weakening of the lamppost:
Lampposts are engineered for their specific purpose, and adding extra weight or stress from flags and attachments can cause them to weaken over time, potentially leading to collapse.
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The “risks” given by the Council are mostly nonsensical. How does a linen flag of moderate size cause “weakening of the lamppost”? and in what way does a lamppost “fail” causing a linen flag to represent “falling debris” when, presumably, the metal lamppost itself would represent “falling debris” of greater danger? It’s unlikely that any flag would “obscure visibility” given that they are being flown from a long way up the lamppost (though the positioning of them halfway up the lamppost unfortunately does make them look like they’re being flown at half mast which made me ask when I first saw them who had died). The Council’s comments are mainly fatuous and the flying of the flags represents a harmless gesture providing the intentions of those raising them are also harmless.