Norfolk council staff wear Pride badges and add rainbow screens after Reform UK removes flags

Reform UK MP Scott Hussey (Image: Reform UK)

Norfolk County Council staff have started wearing Progress Pride badges and displaying rainbow backgrounds on their computer screens after Reform UK stopped flying LGBTQ+ and Ukrainian flags at Norwich county hall.

There was an attitude of solidarity inside the building.staff are also using rainbow-colored screen backgrounds during online meetings, alongside changes that will allow flags to be flown above council headquarters.

Reform UK took over at Norfolk County Council last month, saying it was “perfectly appropriate” to only fly the British flag and local flags above county hall. Reform councilor Scott Hussey said feedback from officials had been “generally positive” and staff had “welcomed the renewed energy and professionalism” of the new administration.

“The decisions we make are designed to do what our residents have chosen us to do: make a difference and achieve results,” Hussey added.

“Instead of trying to communicate virtue or improve our political standing (none of which improves the lives of our residents), we focus on common sense, pragmatism, and getting the job done.”

Unison boss Chris Holt said there was a “strong sense of disappointment” among employees. “A change in local government policy regarding flags that leads to the removal of the Progress Pride flag feels like a calculated disrespect to both officials and Norfolk residents of the LGBTQ+ community,” Holt said.

What is allowed under Norfolk’s flag policy

Under the council’s flag policy, the Norfolk County Council Flag, Union Flag, St George’s Flag and Norfolk Flag are permitted to be flown above the County Hall on Martineau Lane. The Royal Flag, Merchant Navy, Armed Forces and Emergency Services flags may be flown on certain days.

The Progress Pride flag was flown from County Hall in time for Norwich Pride in July.

Hussey defended the decision, saying, “While the Pride flag is often presented as a symbol of inclusivity and diversity, many see it as a political advocacy flag.”

“As such, the flag is seen by some as more divisive than uniting, and the flag does not necessarily represent all the groups it claims to encompass.”

Union criticism and broader reform debate

The row follows other controversies over the visibility of Pride in party-run councils, including London’s only Reform council canceling a Pride flag ceremony, and an uproar after the Reform council banned advertising of LGBTQ+ events in an Essex library.

Mr Holt added: [County Hall] Focus on learning the essentials and truly engaging in the vital role of being a county councilor. ”