‘Petty’ councillors snub Lady T’s funeral
Lib-Lab refusal to back flying Union flag at half-mast
A bid to fly the Union flag at half-mast at South Gloucestershire Council offices to mark yesterday’s funeral of Lady Thatcher was blocked, angering local councillors.
All councils are expected to follow guidance from the College of Arms (the authority for matters relating to the flying of flags), which was clear that councils should have flown flags at half-mast yesterday.
Neighbouring councils in Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset and North Somerset all flew their flags at half-mast in line with the guidance, despite being of varying political persuasions.
But Conservative councillors were horrified to arrive for council meetings early yesterday morning to find that flags were not at half-mast. And then Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors on the politically ‘hung’ authority refused to back Conservative requests that the council alter its flag poles.
This snub has been branded ‘petty and disrespectful’ by Conservative Group’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Matthew Riddle. He said:
“It was extraordinarily petty and disrespectful for Labour and LibDem councillors to play politics and prevent the council from flying the Union flag at half-mast to mark Lady Thatcher’s funeral.
Whatever people think about Lady Thatcher’s political legacy, she was the leader of our country for 11 years. She was Britain's first female prime minister, she won 3 consecutive general elections and she successfully defended the Falkland Islands.
She was a giant of British politics and whatever people's political stripes, she and her grieving family deserved respect on the day of her funeral. The guidance from the College of Arms should have been followed without hesitation.”Local Conservative Association Chairman Barry Ansell added
"This is an absolute disgrace and a disregard of protocol and deciency on the part of mean minded people"