Rotherham considering flag restrictions on council buildings
The choice of which flags can be flown on public buildings, and which cannot, is under review, with a new motion set to go before a town council.Two Conservative councillors say flag-flying should be restricted to a "small set of official emblems" in Rotherham.Tim Baum-Dixon, backed by Zachary Collingham, will put the motion to Labour-run Rotherham Council this week, arguing that the current approach to flag-flying had become "too controversial and divisive".The council has flown various flags on its buildings to mark international events in recent years, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said, showing solidarity with causes or recognising specific communities.
The council heard that, while many of the gestures were well-intentioned, the choice to fly certain flags had often led to disagreement, and even complaints, among residents - with the fallout taking a significant amount of officer time.The motion claims "what was once a symbolic gesture has become a source of conflict".It added that inconsistent decisions on flags had "left the council open to criticism and political pressure".If passed, the new rules would allow just four flags to be flown on Rotherham Council buildings and sites:the Union flag (Union Jack)the England flag (St George's Cross)the Yorkshire RoseRotherham's official Coat of Arms
All other flags, such as those for international awareness days, special causes, and campaigns, would no longer be permitted under the new protocol, the motion stated.The councillors who put forward the motion said the proposals were "not a rejection of any cause or group", adding the move was intended to avoid controversy, bring consistency, and help the council refocus its energy and resources on delivering frontline services.The proposed changes are to be debated at the next full council meeting on 21 May, the LDRS reported.If the motion is approved, a revised policy would be drawn up ahead of final approval by the council cabinet.Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
37 minutes ago
- The Sun
Huge shake-up to council tax payments planned by government – how it could affect YOU explained
MILLIONS of households could pay council tax bills over 12 months rather than 10 under a huge shake-up to payments planned by the government. Ministers are proposing to change the way households pay for the essential bill to help households manage their finances better. 1 The change comes as part of a consultation launched by the Government today. The consultation has also laid out plans to change the way council tax debt, or arrears, is recovered. Under the plans, councils will have to wait longer before demanding a bill is paid in full. Currently, if you miss a single payment your local authority can demand you pay the bill for the entire year and use bailiffs to enforce this.
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Assisted dying vote on a knife edge as Yes and No camps BOTH claim they have numbers to win bitter campaign over law on helping terminally ill end their lives
The vote on legalising assisted dying is on a knife-edge today with both Yes and No campaigns saying they are on course to win the increasingly close campaign. Kim Leadbeater said she is confident MPs will tomorrow back her plan to allow terminally ill people with six months or less to live to be helped to commit suicide, when it is put to a final vote tomorrow. But opponents of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill also believe they may have the numbers to see it off the proposed decriminalisation in England and Wales. Ms Leadbeater has argued terminally ill people must be given choice at the end of their lives, but opponents of her Bill have warned it fails to guarantee protections for society's most vulnerable. The legislation passed a preliminary vote last November by 55 votes. But since then more than 20 MPs who backed it have publicly changed their minds, and the Bill would fall if 28 MPs switched directly from voting yes to no on Friday. So close is the vote that Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood, who is isolating with Covid, has been offered a private ambulance to bring her to the Commons to vote against it. MPs will get a free vote on what is known as a 'conscience matter' with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer indicating he will vote Yes and ministers Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood expected to vote No. The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Significant changes since it succeeded in the initial vote in Parliament include the replacement of a High Court safeguard with the expert panels, and a doubling of the implementation period to a maximum of four years for an assisted dying service to be in place should the Bill pass into law. Making her case for a change in the law, Ms Leadbeater said: 'We have the most robust piece of legislation in the world in front of us tomorrow, and I know that many colleagues have engaged very closely with the legislation and will make their decision based on those facts and that evidence, and that cannot be disputed. 'But we need to do something, and we need to do it quickly.' A YouGov poll of 2,003 adults in Great Britain, surveyed last month and published on Thursday, suggested public support for the Bill remains high at 73 per cent – unchanged from November. The proportion of people who feel assisted dying should be legal in principle has risen slightly, to 75 per cent from 73 per cent in November. Friday will be the first time the Bill has been debated and voted on in its entirety since last year's historic yes vote, when MPs supported the principle. So close is the vote that Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood, who is isolating with Covid, has been offered a private ambulance to bring her to the Commons to vote against it. However opponents claim there are not enough safeguards in the legislation as it stands to protect vulnerable people. A think tank last night warned hundreds of domestic abuse victims could be coerced into using assisted dying by their abusers. The Other Half warned that victims are already at a higher risk of taking their own lives and the situation could be exacerbated. It has estimated that as many as 631 abuse victims, who are also terminally ill, could opt to die every year within a decade, based on the Government's own calculations about the uptake of the ability to seek help to die. A poll carried out by the women's rights think tank found that two thirds of voters, men and women, are concerned about victims being pressured into dying by their abusers. The Other Half chief executive Fiona Mackenzie said: 'This bill is designed to kill people – and that extraordinary purpose needs extraordinary safeguards. 'Government cannot avoid facing up to the reality before us, we have to understand how the bill could deliver the death of those we otherwise work hard to prevent.
Rhyl Journal
44 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Minister insists no major welfare rebellion on the horizon after whip quits
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said Vicky Foxcroft was the only frontbencher who had spoken to her about resigning. MPs must 'look to their conscience' when deciding how to vote, Ms Nandy said, but added that the Government believes the Commons will back the reforms. Lewisham North MP Ms Foxcroft said she understood 'the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill' but did not believe the proposed cuts 'should be part of the solution', in her resignation letter to the Prime Minister. Sir Keir Starmer has faced a backlash from some Labour MPs over proposals to reform the welfare system, which are expected to save up to £5 billion a year. Ms Nandy said a 'handful' of backbench MPs had expressed concerns to her about the 'detail' of the Bill, but added she was confident the Government had listened and the package of reforms was 'absolutely right'. 'It would be wrong to say that when you bring forward big reforms, there aren't concerns and there aren't dissenting voices, of course there are. But Vicky is the only frontbencher that I've had a conversation with about resigning,' she told BBC Breakfast. She told Times Radio that Ms Foxcroft 'did the honourable thing' by standing down. 'If you can't stick with collective responsibility in Government, you have to resign. 'She's done the honourable thing. It will enable her to have a voice, and she – as the former shadow disabilities minister – is very keen to use it. 'But I think most Labour MPs, including her, agree with the principle of the reforms that we're making.' She added: 'It's now up to every MP, as it always is at moments of major reform, to look to their conscience and vote the way that they believe is right. 'And we believe this package of reforms are right and will carry the confidence of the House.' Ms Foxcroft is the second Labour frontbencher to go in protest over policy issues after Anneliese Dodds quit as development minister over cuts to the aid budget. Rebel Labour MPs welcomed Ms Foxcroft's decision, with Hartlepool's Jonathan Brash saying he had the 'utmost respect' for her 'principled stand' and Crewe and Nantwich's Connor Naismith saying it 'must have been an incredibly difficult decision but she should be commended for standing by her principles'. She said she had wrestled with whether to resign or remain in the Government and 'fight from within'. 'Sadly it… now seems that we are not going to get the changes I desperately wanted to see. 'I therefore tender my resignation as I know I will not be able to do the job that is required of me and whip – or indeed vote – for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances.' Legislation introduced into Parliament on Wednesday includes a tightening of the criteria for the main disability payment in England, the personal independence payment (Pip). Ministers also want to cut the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC), and delay access to it so only those aged 22 and over can claim it. The package of reforms is aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work, but dozens of Labour rebels said last month that the proposals were 'impossible to support'. Pip is aimed at helping with extra living costs if someone has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of their condition. Data published on Tuesday showed 3.7 million people in England and Wales claimed Pip, up from 2.05 million in 2019, with teenagers and young adults making up a growing proportion of claimants. Around 800,000 people are set to lose out on the benefit under the Government's proposals, according to an impact assessment published alongside Wednesday's legislation. The assessment also confirmed a previous estimate that 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, are likely to fall into relative poverty after housing costs in 2029/30, although the Government repeated that this does not take into account the potentially positive impact of £1 billion annual funding by then for measures to support people into work. Responding to Ms Foxcroft's resignation, a Government spokesperson said: 'This Labour Government was elected to deliver change. The broken welfare system we inherited is failing the sick and most vulnerable and holding too many young people back. It is fair and responsible to fix it. 'Our principled reforms will ensure those who can work should, that those who want to work are properly supported, and that those with most severe disabilities and health conditions are protected.'
