Newbury Town Council to install new flag pole at cost of £1,500

Councillors slammed at recent meeting

NEWBURY Town Council has been criticised over its decision to install a second flagpole at the town hall at a cost of more than £1,500 to the tax payer while, at the same time, raising council, tax.

The flagpole will be used to fly a selection of alternative flags to Newbury’s town flag, which the current pole is reserved for.

The move comes just weeks after the council announced it was raising the precept by £55,000 (4.6 per cent) in 2016/17 partly to pay for additional services that will no longer be funded by West Berkshire Council.

At a meeting of the town council’s civic pride, arts and leisure committee on Monday, resident Andrew Wallace criticised the decision to spend public funds on a new flagpole while resources were being denied to charities and support groups.

Pointing to the council cuts that will lead to a reduction in funding to charities such as Mencap, he said: “Tonight this committee will press on with its budget, which includes spending taxpayers’ money on replacing civic robes and fitting a second flagpole at the town hall. It is also pursuing other plans, such as to build a café in Victoria Park, with support from Greenham Common Trust. I suggest that our first duty is to help the vulnerable in our community. Could this committee therefore urge the town council to redirect funds to charities to support the most vulnerable in our society and their families, and press the district council and Greenham Common Trust to do the same?”

However chairing the meeting, Kuldip Singh Kang (Con, Falkland) said that the town council’s budget had already been agreed and could not be revisited. Justifying the second flagpole, the council said it had received requests to fly the Purple Flag (awarded to towns for their evening and night-time economy) from Newbury BID which it has previously had to decline.

The installation will involve relocating the existing flagpole and installing the additional pole on the balcony, costing a total £1,514.86 plus VAT.

Following the meeting council leader Dave Goff (Con, Clay Hill), who also sits on the civic pride, arts and leisure committee said: “If we didn’t go ahead with the flag pole it wouldn’t make a great deal of difference. I think it’s important that we’re able to recognise the achievements of Newbury and be proud of the town.

“Things like this help promote Newbury and encourage people to visit, which in turn benefits shops and so on.”