Barnet Tories accuse MP of wasting money over Temple Fortune flags
Sarah Sackman urged the council to remove Union Jacks put up without permission on lamp posts
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Barnet Conservatives have accused Finchley and Golders Green MP Sarah Sackman of wasting public money after she urged the council to remove Union Jack flags from lamp posts in Temple Fortune. The flags were put up without permission.
Sackman, a Labour MP and government minister, wrote in Barnet Post on 25 July that residents had contacted her to describe the flags as unsettling and intimidating. She said no one in the community should feel unwelcome.
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Council refuses to spend money on removals
A Barnet Council spokesperson told Barnet Post that the authority flies the Union flag daily outside its offices in Colindale and Hendon Town Hall. It does not, however, install flags on lamp posts because they are not designed to hold them safely.
The council said it would only remove flags from lamp posts if there were health and safety reasons. It would not spend limited public funds on removals unless necessary, as the flags could be replaced immediately.
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The spokesperson added that removing flags would be done alongside routine lamp post maintenance to save money. They also raised concerns about the safety of people climbing lamp posts to install flags and the risk to road markings for visually impaired drivers.
Conservatives call MP’s request political theatre
Barnet Conservative leader Peter Zinkin, a councillor for Golders Green, criticised Sackman’s request. He said the council had already decided flags were not worth the cost of removal. Zinkin accused Sackman of hypocrisy, as her government had cut funding to Barnet and London.
“Residents in Temple Fortune and Golders Green deserve better than political theatre from an MP whose government is making this council’s finances worse.”
Peter Zinkin, Barnet Conservative leader
The Conservative group said Sackman’s stance contradicted the council’s policy. They argued that spending money on removing flags would be pointless, as they could be replaced the next day. Barnet Post asked the council to confirm whether it planned to remove the flags but received no response.
What happens next
It is unclear whether the council will take any action on the flags in Temple Fortune. A spokesperson said removals would only happen if there were safety concerns or during routine maintenance. No timeline has been given for any potential action.
Barnet Press News Desk
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