Local Conservatives call on council to drop flag court case and spend taxpayers’ money cleaning up Birmingham
Birmingham Conservatives have called on the city council to abandon its controversial High Court action over flags and instead focus its resources on cleaning up Birmingham’s streets and tackling fly-tipping.
The call follows serious questions raised by Judge Emma Kelly at the High Court on 8 September, over Birmingham City Council’s attempt to secure an interim injunction against people involved in attaching flags to street furniture.
The judge described aspects of the council’s evidence as “troubling” and questioned why an urgent interim injunction was being sought when the activity had been taking place for several months and did not appear to have escalated.
The court also raised concerns that the council had not set out clearly what each of the seven named defendants was alleged to have done. The case has now been adjourned until 30 September, with the council ordered to provide greater clarity about its evidence.
Birmingham Local Conservatives say the council should now drop the case rather than spend more taxpayers’ money pursuing an unnecessarily heavy-handed legal response.
Councillor Robert Alden (Con, Erdington), Leader of the Conservative Group on Birmingham City Council, said:
“Today’s hearing should be a wake-up call for the City Council. We have been saying for months this was not a good use of public resources".
“Now the judge has raised serious questions about the council’s evidence and, crucially, why it is seeking an urgent injunction now when the situation has been going on for months without any apparent escalation".
“Instead of answering those questions by throwing more taxpayers’ money at lawyers, the council should drop this case and spend the money cleaning up Birmingham.
“Birmingham has a serious problem with fly-tipping, rubbish, rats and dirty streets. That is where the council’s attention and resources should be going.
“Labour mishandled this issue from the beginning. Instead of responding calmly and proportionately, their approach helped it into a major political controversy".
“The new coalition now risks repeating exactly the same mistake, with the council reaching for a heavy-handed legal mechanism which has put it straight back into the headlines. The message seeking this injunction sent to the city, whether intended or not, was that flying our national flags was wrong. It is not and the Council should be clear about that.”
Local Conservatives have a long held policy of flying the country’s flags from public buildings and in community spaces with pride and argue this would be a better way forward, to celebrate with pride our achievements as a great nation, something all communities in the city can unite behind".
Councillor Alex Yip (Con, Sutton Wylde Green) Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group said
“There is a much more positive way forward. The Council should never be embarrassed by the Union Flag or the Cross of St George. People in Birmingham should be able to express pride in our country and our city.
“Rather than fighting expensive court cases over flags attached to street furniture, the council should provide proper ways for communities to display them. That should include flying our national flags proudly from all public buildings and installing properly erected flagpoles in suitable community spaces".
“ At a time when Birmingham residents are dealing with overflowing rubbish, fly-tipping, potholes, cuts to public services and rising council tax bills - while the council itself remains under enormous financial pressure - taxpayers are rightly asking why precious time, money and officer resources are being spent pursuing a costly High Court case over flags.
“The council should stop turning this into a battle. Drop the case, stop spending taxpayers’ money on unnecessary legal action and concentrate on cleaning up Birmingham.”
