Reform UK's policy over flags flying at Leicestershire County Council is set to be discussed this week

The meeting, set to be held on Thursday, June 12, was added to the council’s calendar on Wednesday evening (June 4).

It marks the first cabinet meeting since Reform UK took control of the authority at May’s local elections and has just the one item on the agenda.

The issue over flags comes after Reform UK’s party chairman, Zia Yusuf, said the only Union and St George’s flags would be allowed on Reform-run council buildings.

No details have been published in the agenda for the meeting this week as to what Leicestershire Reform is now proposing to change regarding the local policy. Currently, the council flies the Union flag, county flag and either the Commonwealth flag or, on the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian flag on the three poles at the front of County Hall, in Glenfield.

The fourth pole, which is in the inner quadrangle, is used to fly flags relating to community events and celebration days, such as the disabled people’s flag during Disability History Month and the rainbow Pride flag to promote equality and to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. There are currently over 100 Pride flags flying above shops and businesses in Market Harborough to mark Pride month, this June.

The LDRs asked leader Dan Harrison what the new policy might be, but did not receive a response.

The lack of clarity around this has been criticised by leader of the opposition Deborah Taylor who said: “It [any new policy] has not had the opportunity to be scrutinised, there are no proposals actually within the cabinet papers to read before the meeting.”

Cllr Taylor has further branded the special meeting a “waste of officers’ time”, particularly given there was already a cabinet meeting in the diary for the following week.

She said: “It is not an urgent matter and there is a planned cabinet meeting five days later, where this could have been discussed. It is a waste of officers’ time, when there are much bigger priorities we should be focusing on.”

The LDRs also asked Cllr Harrison why he had decided to call a special meeting given members were already due to be gathering five days later, but again did not receive an answer.

Leicestershire County Council described the time officers spent preparing for the meeting as “minimal”, saying it amounted to “around a couple of hours”. Officers, including the council’s chief executive, will also need to set aside time to attend the meeting, however, and to publish minutes of the meeting afterwards.

The LDRs further asked the authority what the additional cost of such a meeting could be. A spokeswoman said there could be costs if attending members claim travel expenses, but it was not possible to say how much that could be. Members are able to claim back 45p per mile in expenses.