A £75,000 scheme by a Reform-led council to hang union flags at sites across Nottinghamshire has failed to attract a single sponsor. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The plan to attach flags to brackets on about 180 lamp-posts and other places was agreed in the autumn by Nottinghamshire's council, won by Nigel Farage's party in last year's May elections. The authority justified the cost as a way to "enhance civic pride," saying the national flag was "seen as embodying national unity and the collective values of all the peoples and communities of the United Kingdom."
In December last year, Reform MP Lee Anderson, whose Ashfield seat is in the county, posted a video stating the scheme would "not cost the taxpayer a single penny" as it would be sponsored by local businesses. However, seven months later, no sponsors had been found, with the council paying for the scheme.
The council has also faced other controversies since Reform took control, including a ban on speaking to journalists from the area's biggest local newspaper, which ended only after a threat of legal action. Reform councils often fly only the union flag, St George's flag, and local emblems, meaning they no longer fly Ukrainian flags. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lamented this decision, telling The Guardian: "Sometimes little, small mistakes can break big friendship or huge contacts."
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper criticized the scheme, saying: "Turns out 30p Lee is more like £75k Lee when it comes to spending taxpayers' money."