Perth and Kinross Council has agreed to slash the number of flags flown outside its headquarters to save money.
The Provost’s Sub-Committee this week agreed to reduce the number of flags from 27 to three following complaints about their poor condition.
The new replacement flags will be in place for the summer of 2024.
A report outlining a proposal for a new flag protocol went before the Provost’s Sub-Committee on Monday, January 23. The sub-committee – made up of the provost, depute provost and five bailies – was asked to reduce the number of flags to three.
The flags and poles were described in the council report as being in a “poor condition” with the council having received “several complaints” about them.
The cost of replacing all 27 flags and their poles would be £5375, a cost which would recur every four or five years.
The recommendation in the report was to remove the majority of the existing flags and poles on the 2 High Street building except the Saltire, Union Jack and Perth and Kinross Council/Civic Crest flags which would be refurbished/renewed and fly above the main entrance. The PKC flag will rotate with other flags based on different events and activities throughout the year.
Depute Provost Andrew Parrott put forward an amendment to invest in six new flags each year to widen the number of different flags that can rotate with the PKC flag.
He said: “We’re a culturally diverse community with members of more than a few states living with us and amongst us.”
He suggested PKC “progressively include flags of European neighbours and Commonwealth partners on their national days”.
Depute Provost Parrott added: “I recognise that there’s a cost and would propose that we – in furtherance of this – invest in six flags per year going forwards. If they’re only flown on a limited number of occasions they will endure for more than a few years. I would propose the first flags we invest in are those of the flags of the countries of which we have twinning relationships.
“The first six therefore might be Germany, France, Poland, Canada, China and Australia. The USA being on the list for the first flag for the second year. And thereafter – I don’t think we need to agree now – we can develop a list of how we intend to develop those flags later.”
The SNP Perth City councillor added: “It comes with a modest cost but recognises very much that we are not an isolate but part of a wider community.”
Provost Xander McDade said updating the flag protocol was a “pragmatic approach given the current climate we’re in” and agreed to the amendment with one caveat.
He said: “Instead of the first six including China I would instead fly the Ukrainian flag as part of the first six.”
Bailie Chris Ahern questioned why the twinning link with China was being singled out. Perth is twinned with the Chinese city of Haiku. The other five cities Perth itself has a twinned/sister relationship with are: Aschaffenburg in Germany, Bydgoszcz in Poland, Cognac in France, Perth in Canada and Perth in Australia.
The Conservative Perth City Centre councillor said he would be happy to include Ukraine as a seventh additional flag “rather than missing out one of our twinned cities”.
Bailie Ahern said: “They may well wonder why we’ve got five out of the six chosen and not the other one. I’d be quite happy to include it as a seventh flag.”
Provost McDade said Perth and Kinross, as a whole, had twinning links with the USA which would also not be included in the first tranche. It was agreed China and the USA would be included in the second tranche alongside four other flags.
Dull is famously twinned with Boring in the USA and both Dunkeld and Birnam and Blairgowrie and Rattray have twinning links with the USA.
The new flag protocol was agreed.
