Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz announced the plans at a council meeting yesterday reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter

Newham’s mayor Rokhsana Fiaz has announced a review of the council’s policy on flying flags.

Fiaz announced the review at a meeting of all councillors yesterday (10th). She linked it to a nationwide campaign of activists raising English and British flags on lampposts, but also requests to the council to fly the Palestinian flag.

She said she wanted the review to “ensure that our approach to flags and special lighting of our civic buildings reflects and supports all Newham’s diverse communities, of all population sizes.”

Labour mayor Fiaz said the review would “take into account” how the council deals with removing flags tied to council buildings, lampposts and across roads.

She said a “surge” in St George’s Crosses and Union flags being tied to lampposts over the summer had caused a “national debate over whether they represent pride or prejudice.”

Fiaz said they could be a “symbol of respect and celebration” but also “a symbol associated with the rise of far right demonstrations that they are instigating across the country in protest against asylum seekers, refugees and Muslims.”

She said: “The language of ‘they don’t belong here’ is gaining traction by forces wanting to tear communities apart, including here in our borough.”

Fiaz also said she and the council’s chief executive had received “a number of requests” to raise the Palestinian flag in recent weeks.

She said she understood why residents might want the council to raise the flag after the government formally recognised the state of Palestine last month.

However she said that doing this is “not straightforward for a council that must be policy-led and have regard for all members of our communities.”

Fiaz said the review would consider raising the Palestinian and Israeli flags together “on a suitable date”. Other options include not raising any international flags, or making no change to its current policy.

She suggested the council could decide to fly international flags less often to avoid appearing biased.

Fiaz said: “Initial discussions suggest we should consider a more limited schedule of flags in our policy, to avoid the unintended perception that in flying some international flags and not others, we are not signalling inclusion to all ethnicities and nationalities within Newham.”

Councillor Nate Higgins, leader of the Green group, criticised the planned review.

He suggested it was an attempt to avoid having to raise the Palestinian flag, and noted that the policy had last been reviewed as recently as 2023.

Cllr Higgins said: “This administration still won’t fly the Palestinian flag. One small act, despite our long and proud record of flying Ukraine’s flag.

“Instead Labour are intent on another review of a flag policy written only two years ago. Everybody can see that for what it is – a whitewash to run down the clock, pissing away our money instead of doing what we all know is right.”

Fiaz said said she would update councillors on the review “in due course.”

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