Birmingham City Council is set to spend £2.6m removing around 20,000 unauthorised flags from lamp posts across the city, at an estimated cost of £132 per flag.
The council says the action is necessary on safety grounds, after staff faced harassment and intimidation while carrying out removal work.
It has now applied to the High Court for an injunction to prevent unauthorised attachments to public property, following a similar move by Oxfordshire County Council.
Cabinet member Cllr Jane Baston said the council is taking a ‘lawful, proportionate and evidence-led approach,’ prioritising public safety, staff welfare and community cohesion, and stressed the move is not targeted at any particular community or viewpoint.
The decision has drawn criticism given Birmingham's financial position – the council is currently more than £3.5bn in debt and recently raised council tax by 4.99%.
