Flags on lampposts in Bristol to 'come down' after public pressure
Pledge to remove flags from lampposts if they cause distress or are fraying
Last updated 16th Jan 2026
Flags on lampposts will “gradually disappear from our streets” as public pressure for their removal is growing. In a seismic shift in policy, leading councillors have pledged to remove flags from lampposts if they cause distress or are fraying so Bristol doesn’t “look unsightly”.
For the past several months British and English flags have been flying from lampposts across the city. To some people they are a symbol of national pride and unity while to other people they represent a growing anti-immigrant sentiment, dividing neighbourhoods.
More than 1,600 Bristol residents petitioned Bristol City Council to take down the flags, sparking a debate by the public health and communities policy committee on Friday, January 16. Previously the council has allowed most of them to stay flying, but this could now soon change.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Stephen Williams, chair of the committee, said: “Those flags are not up with our permission nor with our consent. We do not think lampposts are a place for people to unilaterally decide what they’re going to display on them.
“There are a lot of things that take place in our communities that are outside the general national law or council byelaws and rules. Neither we nor the police can enforce every single transgression of that law or those local rules. Practical considerations always come into this.
“The administration has discussed the situation many times and our position is an evolving one. Some flags have indeed been taken down, others will be taken down soon. It’s a dynamic situation. People should not be putting flags on public property, whether it’s lampposts or railings or roundabouts. In time those flags will come down.”
One thing council leaders have considered is the safety of staff or contractors tasked with taking down the flags, particularly as this had led to conflict with people putting up the flags elsewhere in the country. Police or security might flank staff taking down the flags on lampposts if needed.
Lots of flags are flying on Duckmoor Road in Bedminster, despite some locals opposing their presence. Residents said the flags didn’t represent the wishes of the wider neighbourhood, made them feel unsafe and claimed they carried a message that “racism is allowed” in Bristol.
Kate Jeffery, who lives on Duckmoor Road, said: “These flags have been placed on public property without consent and without any form of consultation or collective discussion with local residents. The installations appear to be carried out by a small group of men who have behaved in a dismissive, rude and at times intimidating manner when questioned.
“This has created an environment where residents feel unable to engage safely or openly. Attempts by members of the community to soften, contextualise or share alternative messages have been met with hostility, including with materials being removed or torn down. This reinforces the sense this activity is not community-led nor representative of the neighbourhood.”
Cian Rance, who set up the petition, added: “Not only is raising the flags on lampposts illegal, it’s also insidiously racist. It makes people in communities across Bristol feel intimated, scared, and unwelcome in their own neighbourhoods. I was next to my neighbour when she was pushed to the floor by an angry man when we tried to remove the flags from our street in September.
“My street now also has stickers on lampposts saying ‘do not remove flags, remember lampposts are expensive to replace’. I was also threatened outside of my own home when I asked them not to put a flag outside my house. I was told ‘there are lots of angry people, and we don’t want them to see a flag missing outside your house and assume anything’.”
Nobody in favour of flags came to City Hall to speak on the other side of the argument. However a few people submitted written statements ahead of the meeting, explaining why they wished the flags to stay flying. They denied that the English or British flag were racist symbols.
Beth Robinson said: “I will preface this by stating that I am not far right, I am actually much more ‘left wing’ and even voted for Corbyn all that time ago. The fact I have to state this before I continue just shows how ridiculous this situation is. I do not agree that we should be treating the flag of our country as some sort of racist emblem.
“The people who are pushing this opinion are in my opinion very short sighted and naive. We should not be allowing racist ideals to tarnish the flag of our country. Not only will removing them give rise to a reaction from the so-called far right, it will cement the idea that they are a scourge on our streets, and I disagree with this entirely.”
Flags were first put up in Bristol in September, as part of a countrywide campaign called Operation Raise the Colours. Union Jacks on West Street were initially taken down, only to be replaced with St George’s Crosses shortly afterwards. While opponents say the flags symbolise racism, supporters say they are celebrating the country and patriotism brings people together.
Both Labour Cllr Emily Clarke and Green Cllr Ellie Freeman, who together represent the ward of Bedminster, said they now backed the flags being taken down. And the increasing public pressure and petition appear to have influenced what the council will do next.
When the flags were first put up in Bristol, leading councillors decided to let them stay up. They feared taking them down immediately would inflame tensions within the community. Where flags are put up on public property, such as lampposts, and in their sensitive locations like near schools, they will be taken down, according to Cllr Williams, the public health committee chair.
Residents living in houses or flats with a flag flying outside their home can also ask the council to remove it. Cllr Williams said: “If that flag is causing any form of distress to that household, we will take that particular flag down. Where they are fraying or in danger of coming off the lamppost, and causing a danger to people on the highway, we will take them down as well.
“More will come down over the coming weeks. As these flags deteriorate, we will take them down, because we don’t want our city to look unsightly. Over a pretty short period of time, I think these flags will gradually disappear from our streets. But what we don’t want to do is engineer a confrontation with people who respond by immediately putting them back up again.”