Agenda item

Motion submitted by Councillor Sennitt Clough regarding a flag for the Fens.

The Chairman drew members attention to a proposed alteration to the motion which had been tabled, which in accordance with procedure rule 12.7a members agreed.

Councillor Sennitt Clough presented her motion regarding the Fenland Flag, Councillor Boden seconded the motion, and it was opened for debate.

Members made the following comments:

·               Councillor Boden stated that initially he was not particularly in favour of having time spent on selecting a flag for the Fens, however, he is aware that there are a number of people who are interested and concerned about it and it has become a big issue for them. He explained that the Flag Institute has been contacted by Councillor Sennitt Clough in her position as the Chairman of the Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee and it is clear that the Council’s central geographical position within the Fens means that if the call for a Flag for the Fens is to be met then the Council are the ones who have to meet it. Councillor Boden added that he does understand why people want the identity of the Fens to be reflected in a flag and that it is very much a cultural issue as well as being an arts issue too, with the possibility of an enormous amount of enthusiasm and interest generated by what could be quite an exciting competition. He explained that he did have concerns with regards to any associated costs and the amount of officer time that would be impacted because of this and following discussions with Councillor Sennitt Clough it has been decided that this project will not go ahead unless it is at no external cost to the Council and that officer time is kept to a minimum. Councillor Boden explained that apart from the publicity that is involved and the IT set up which is going to be required this will be done at minimal cost to the Council in terms of officer time. He stated that regardless of that fact it can and should actually generate a significant amount of interest as the Fens and the people of the Fens have a great deal to be proud of as well as a lot to identify. Councillor Boden expressed the view that he is looking forward to schools engaging with the competition, for many people putting forward their own ideas and receiving some very imaginative designs coming forward. He added that he is pleased that he will not form part of the judging panel because there are other people who will be able to make a judgement with the entries and, in his view, it is important that those individuals are spread from outside Fenland and not just from Fenland itself. Councillor Boden made the point that it is not a major issue or something that has to be done but it is responding to a significant amount of public demand and according to the Flag Institute it is the Council who are required to take the lead. He stated that many of the children’s entries for the competition may well be in a simplistic form and, therefore, it needs to be made very clear that it is the idea behind the flag rather than the exact painting or creation of it which will be important when being judged as well as the vexillological appropriateness of the applications concerned. Councillor Boden expressed the view that he looks forward to the initiative which will capture the imagination of people and whilst it is up to individuals as to what flags they choose to fly, having a Flag for the Fens will mean that the uncertainty which some people feel and the difficulty of having anything formally recognised by the Flag Institute will be overcome. He added that he welcomes the competition and Councillor Sennitt Clough will be the member who will oversee the project and he reiterated that this will not be an initiative at cost to the council or at significant officer cost and will be undertaken voluntarily by appropriately qualified external persons and under the leadership of Councillor Sennitt Clough.

·               Councillor Patrick stated that the current Flag of the Fens, albeit unofficial, that was not endorsed when a previous motion came before Full Council, has gained the support of Peterborough City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, South Holland District Council, Gedney Hill Parish Council, Outwell Parish Council, Steven Barclay MP, Charlotte Cane MP, Sir John Hayes MP and Andrew Pakes MP. He questioned that if a particular flag wins the competition then will it replace the Flag of the Fens and what will happen when the new unitary authority is formed in a few years and all the other councils have supported it do not support the winning flag design. Councillor Patrick expressed the opinion that if the Flag of the Fens wins then it must be premeditated and renders a competition useless, therefore, he cannot support the motion.

·               Councillor Tierney expressed the view that there is no current Flag of the Fens and there is not a flag simply because a council declares it, it is a cumulative process and it has to go through certain structures. He stated that personally he does not support the idea of a flag for the Fens, he feels it is a waste of time, money and there are better things to do. Councillor Tierney questioned whether there will then be a flag for Wisbech, a flag for Medworth or one for Alexander Road, asking how far does this go but realises that he is representing the people of the area, with a lot of them feeling differently to him and if there has to be a process it should be through a fair competition and it should not be that someone decides this is the flag and starts pushing it around to people. He added that he appreciates Councillor Sennitt Clough’s leadership on this issue and believes a proper competition is the way forward and if the other flag that claims to be the Flag of the Fens enters the competition and wins that is fine.

·               Councillor Purser stated that he endorsed this and still does, he is a proud Cambridgeshire and Fen man and to put up a flag for the Fens shows that people are proud of the region, which he feels is important. He stated that he still wears the Cambridgeshire badge to show people that he comes from here and feels this would give people a sense of belonging and a sense of pride.

·               Councillor Roy stated he initially proposed a motion on this issue and feels this is a vote for the people and about how members represent those that have elected them to be here. He referred to Councillor Tierney mentioning a public consultation and thinks they will be open to a lot of scrutiny with the competition, it could be seen that it is already a predetermined flag that is going to be voted for should that flag win and Council needs to be mindful of this.  

·               Councillor Booth expressed the view that this is a nonsense motion, there is a Flag of the Fens, people are using it and it has been reported that the person who designed it approached the Flag Institute and they have already said there is community support for the flag. He feels that the only piece missing being elected representatives supporting it and the only place not supporting it is this Chamber and the only reason for that is, in his opinion, because an opposition councillor put it forward. Councillor Booth stated he does not support the motion as he thinks there is a Flag of the Fens already being widely used and is endorsed by the community.

·               Councillor Sennitt Clough in summing up quoted from the Flag Institute “where no historical design exists for a community the Flag Institute’s preference for the development of a design is through a public competition. This maximises public involvement in the process and mandate for the subsequent adoption. Where a community is unable or unwilling to run such a competition, the Flag Institute will consider individual proposals provided they have formal support from suitably representative bodies for the community in question.” She made the point that in this case, the Council is willing to run a competition and this is the Flag Institute’s preference because it maximises public involvement in the process and members are elected representatives here to represent those people who elected us.

The motion was approved.