Penrith Town Council has this week removed nine flags from lampposts along Middlegate, Unlike the recent national trend of Union Jacks and St George’s Crosses flags on lamposts, these flags were part of a bespoke town branding project commissioned by Penrith Town Council. The council spent more than £5,000 from its budget on the design, production, and installation of the flags, which carried messages such as “Eat & Drink”, “Discover”, “Shop Local”, “Welcome”, and “History & Heritage”, alongside a Penrith logo created as part of a town council branding initiative.
The flags, which lined both sides of Middlegate, have however, after just six months on display, been taken down by the council and it has emerged that advertisement consent had not been obtained prior to installation in April leading to an enforcement case being opened by Westmorland and Furness Council’s planning and enforcement department against the town council.
A spokesperson for Penrith Town Council explained:
“The flags are to be put up before Easter and removed September/October prior to the installation of Christmas lights. This is to provide a welcoming and colourful display for visitors and residents during the tourist season and to ensure that they are not damaged by poor winter weather.”
Westmorland and Furness Council has confirmed that before the flags can be reinstalled in future, Penrith Town Council must first obtain the necessary advertisement consent from Westmorland and Furness Council via a formal planning application.
Penrith Town Council added:
“We have had lots of positive comments and feedback from visitors and members of the public.”
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