WARRINGTON Borough Council is looking at enhanced security measures to protect staff who are facing verbal abuse for removing national flags from lamp posts around the town.
The council has previously advised residents not to place national flags on public property, including lamp posts and roundabouts and said they would be removed if they impacted health and safety.
Following incidents of staff being verbally abused for removing flags, Leader of the Council, Cllr Hans Mundry, issued a statement saying: “As a council, and in line with the current autumn and approaching winter months, we are facing increasing demand on our front-line environment and highways services, particularly in relation to the risk of flooding. We are acutely aware of the devastating impact of flooding on the lives of residents and businesses.
Council leader Cllr Hans Mundry
“Our current priority in this respect is ensuring that our gullies are cleansed, our streets are well maintained, and street lights are in working order – particularly as we approach colder, darker and wetter days. We also need to acknowledge that adverse autumn and winter weather increases the risk of flooding. We are, therefore, doing what we can, with our limited and stretched resources, to minimise flooding risk.
“However, our front line teams who are working on this, are having to spend an increasing amount of time assessing self-installed flags, particularly those that pose a clear health and safety risk. The same teams have also had to address roundabouts that have been vandalised.
“Our stance remains that you should not attempt to attach flags to, or paint things on, public property and highways infrastructure, such as lampposts or roundabouts, without permission from the Council. Anything that is attached in this way is not legal. The removal of flags continues to be based on health and safety concerns, or as part of routine maintenance works.
“Sadly, some of our staff who have been out removing flags on this basis, have been subject to verbal abuse. Abuse and harassment in any form, to council officers who are simply doing their job, is totally unacceptable. Going forward, we are looking at having to implement enhanced security measures for staff who are removing flags, which will come at significant additional cost.
“Now more than ever, we cannot afford for our services to become distracted by the need to remove self-installed flags.“I ask again that residents who wish to demonstrate their national pride do so lawfully, in ways that reflect our important local and national values of respect, inclusion, tolerance and community togetherness.”
