City Hall will never fly Pride flag, council says
Reform SunderlandA city hall will "never" fly the Pride flag and will fly the St George's flag and union jack all year, its Reform UK-controlled council has said.
Reform councillors on Sunderland City Council made the announcement after raising the England flag outside the civic building on Thursday.
Cabinet member for culture, tourism and heritage Ciera Hudspith said: "Any flag flown outside a governing body should represent our nation and our country as a whole, not a sectional interest."
Charity OUT North East, which runs local Pride celebrations, due to start in the city this weekend, said it was "very disappointed" with the decision and it "risks sending the wrong message".
Reform Sunderland said it would only fly national and civic flags which "represent our country, heritage and wider community".
"For that reason, the Pride flag will never be flown outside City Hall," it said.
Joe Giddens/PA WireThe party swept to power in May's local elections, ending Labour's more than 50-year control of the council.
Hudspith, who is also Reform's Sunderland press secretary, said the decision had "nothing to do with sexuality" and the announcement had been made because the flag had previously been raised at the start of Pride Month, which runs throughout June.
"Pride stopped being solely a celebration of gay rights a long time ago," she said.
"It has increasingly become a political event used to promote certain ideologies that many people, including many within the LGBT community, want no part of.
"Residents are welcome to celebrate in any way they feel appropriate, however, we remain firm in our stance that this is not a priority for us."
'Wrong message'
OUT North East CEO Peter Darrant said: "While Pride was born from protest and the fight for the right to exist openly and equally, the Pride flag today is also a symbol of community, inclusion and belonging.
"For many people, seeing it displayed publicly is a sign that they are welcome, valued, and supported."
He said banning the flag from Sunderland City Hall risked sending the "opposite message" to members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Darrant added it could undermine efforts to regenerate and attract investment to the city.
"Decisions like this risk sending the wrong message to investors, partners, organisations, and visitors who increasingly expect places to demonstrate that they are modern, inclusive, and welcoming communities," he said.
