Issue - meetings

Flag Flying Policy and Room Naming Protocol

Meeting: 23/07/2020 - Council (Item 48)

48 Flag Flying Policy and Room Naming Protocol pdf icon PDF 121 KB

To receive the Flag Flying Policy and Room Naming Protocol.

 

RECOMMENDATION: To approve the Flag Flying Policy & Room Naming Protocol at Appendix 1 of the report.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council considered a report regarding a proposed Flag Flying Policy and a Room Naming Policy set out at Agenda pages 157 to 164.

 

It was proposed by John Halsall and seconded by John Kaiser that the recommendation be agreed.

 

Members were informed that the Council now had a house flag. 

 

Imogen Shepherd-DuBey raised a number of issues.  She felt that it was important that Wokingham Borough Council and Wokingham Town Council were in accord with their flag flying policies, and welcomed the Policy, including the addition of the flying of the flag on Holocaust Memorial Day.  Imogen Shepherd-DuBey went on to ask about the rules around the flag being flown at half-mast, and who would decide when this would occur.  She questioned whether the Council’s house flag would be flown following the death of a councillor.  With regards to the Room Naming Policy, she felt that further clarification was required about the number of people required to make a proposal.

 

Gary Cowan suggested that ‘may consult with the relevant bodies’ be amended to ‘will consult with the relevant bodies’, in the Room Naming Policy.

 

Andy Croy was of the opinion that the Flag Flying Policy was insensitive and should be withdrawn.  He commented that if the Council had a good reason to fly the Union Flag it should do so.

 

Carl Doran stated that the Flag Flying Policy did not include any process by which residents or councillors could request a different flag, not included in the policy, to be flown.  He suggested that the policy required further work and requested that the Royal Airforce Ensign be flown at Shute End on the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. 

 

John Halsall indicated that he would be happy to meet with Wokingham Town Council to discuss their flag flying policies. 

 

Upon being put to the vote, it was:

 

RESOLVED:  That the Flag Flying Policy and Room Naming Protocol be approved.