Kent County Council: Flags Can Stay on Lamp Posts — But Safety Comes First

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The Rule That Changes Everything

Flags are staying up — for now. KCC issued guidance in late August 2025 making clear that Highways teams won’t be going out to pull down St George’s or Union flags from lamp posts and buildings across Kent, even where no one’s bothered to get formal permission first.

But there’s a firm line.

Any flag that blocks a road sign, obscures CCTV coverage, or cuts visibility at a junction will have to come down. No exceptions, no appeals to patriotism.

Peter Osborne, KCC Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, was plain about it: “Flags will have to be removed if they are in any way putting people’s safety at risk.”

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What’s Behind the Displays

The surge in flag-flying across Kent is tied to “Operation Raise the Colours” — a national online movement pushing people to attach St George’s flags to private property, lamp posts, roundabouts and road markings. In Sheerness, footage shows St George’s flags on every lamp post along a coastal road, with the numbers steadily growing.

Supporters see it as straightforward national pride. Critics have described some of the roadside markings and flags on public assets as vandalism — a characterisation that councils have noted carries real financial consequences, given the cost pressures local authorities are already facing.

That concern has a price tag attached. According to a statement attributed to a Kent councillor, more than £11,000 is reported to have been spent in Medway alone removing flags and repainting road markings — though the full source and breakdown of that figure has not been independently verified by this publication. Money that, as plenty of residents would tell you, might be better directed at potholes.

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Where the Law Stands

KCC is reminding residents that flying any flag on public infrastructure still requires permission — from the landowner, or from the Highway Authority if it’s on highway land. According to KCC’s guidance, without that permission, such activity may amount to trespass or criminal damage under applicable law.

Flags or painted symbols that hinder council operations, block CCTV, obscure signage, or carry offensive messaging will be removed and referred to the relevant authorities — which can include Kent Police.

So it’s not a free-for-all.

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The Warning Residents Shouldn’t Ignore

Alongside the wider guidance, KCC has issued a direct personal safety warning. Don’t climb lamp posts. Don’t scale tall structures to attach flags. The council is explicit on this — and it’s the kind of advice that probably shouldn’t need saying, yet here we are.

And Kent isn’t alone in wrestling with this. Across England, councils have taken wildly different approaches — some ordering removals wherever permission wasn’t granted, others letting displays stand subject to safety checks. KCC sits in the latter camp, but with clear conditions attached. Pragmatic, you might say. Others might call it a fudge. Either way, it’s the position they’ve landed on.

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Key Takeaways

• KCC Highways teams will not routinely remove St George’s or Union flags unless they pose a safety risk to road users or the public
• Permission from the landowner or Highway Authority is still required for any flag on public or highway land — according to KCC’s guidance, displays without it may constitute trespass or criminal damage
• More than £11,000 is reported to have been spent removing flags in Medway, according to a statement attributed to a Kent councillor, highlighting the potential cost to local authorities when unauthorised displays must be cleared

What This Means for Kent Residents

If your flag’s on your own house or garden, this guidance isn’t aimed at you. But if it’s on a lamp post, roundabout or road surface — and you didn’t get permission — it could still come down, with the matter referred to authorities. Anyone thinking of joining the campaign should check who owns the structure before attaching anything. And nobody should be shinning up lamp posts to do it. Safety, KCC says, is the overriding test — and that applies to the people putting the flags up, not just the drivers going past them.