LONDON, May 22  –  Westminster City Council’s ban on ‘rainbow flags’ in the gay area of Soho has been condemned as ‘bigotry compounded by incompetence’ by a gay councillor who urged the committee to permit them.

And London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, has entered the controversy.  He described the Westminster City council as being “completely out of touch with the needs of 21st century London.”

David Boothroyd, councillor for Westbourne ward, was a member of the planning committee and found that the flag ban was not required by planning policy, despite the council’s claims.

His proposal that the flag be granted permission was rejected on the casting vote of the Chair of the Committee, Cllr Duncan Sandys.  The planning applications sub committee, meeting last Thursday, was considering an application by Prowler shop in Brewer Street to have a “rainbow flag”, over the entrance to its shop on the corner of Brewer and Rupert streets in Soho.

Last year, enforcement action was taken by the Westminster Council to remove “unauthorized rainbow flag and flagpole” at the Admiral Duncan pub in nearby Old Compton Street, and at 1-7 Brewer Street.

“The council’s presentation to the committee was appalling,” commented Cllr. Boothroyd.  “We were told to reject this rainbow flag because there would be a flood of applications for other rainbow flags if it was granted.

“The Leader of the Council doesn’t have any power over planning committees – so his assurances were worthless.  His review of policy could take years.  His attempts to allow rainbow flags have been incompetent”.

The three councillors representing Soho (West End Ward), had sent comments on the flag to the planning committee.

“I was particularly appalled to see an email from the three West End ward councillors claiming that ‘visual clutter’ in Brewer Street ‘offends visitors’ and discourages the local economy,” said Cllr. Boothroyd.  “The rainbow flag is a symbol of freedom and not ‘visual clutter’.

“This email is an appalling expression of bigotry,” he charged.

“This decision was wrong in planning law, bigoted in practice and gives Westminster council an appalling reputation for insulting the gay community.  Many lesbians and gay men live in Westminster and I hope they remember this decision when the council elections happen next May,” he concluded.

The flag rejected by the planning committee would have measured approximately three feet by six feet.

In addition to Cllr. Boothroyd (Labour, Westborne), Cllr. Michael Brahams (Conservative, Bayswater) also voted to grant permission.  Cllrs Barbara Schmeling (Conservative, Little Venice) and Duncan Sandys (Conservative, Vincent Square) voted to refuse.  Because of the 2-2 voting tie, Sandys, the committee chair, excercised his cast vote to reject the application.

“Westminster's decision to reject the application by a gay store to display a rainbow flag shows that its planning committee is completely out of touch with the needs of 21st century London,” London Mayor Ken Livingstone said in a statement.

“First they insult the millions of Londoners who opposed apartheid, by blocking the application for a statue of Nelson Mandela in Trafalgar Square, now they insult lesbian and gay Londoners by banning rainbow flags from buildings in their borough.

“Earlier this year I wrote to the council after a number of businesses were instructed by borough officers to remove rainbow flags.  I was assured that as long as businesses applied to the planning committee, permission to display rainbow flags, would virtually be a formality.

“I wrote back asking for clarification as to whether the council’s policy would be the enlightened approach suggested by Simon Milton [Conservative Westminster councilor], or the Neanderthal approach suggested in letters from the borough to local lesbian and gay businesses.  The planning committee decision has confirmed that the Neanderthals have won out for the moment.

“Westminster’s planning committee is completely out of touch if it thinks it can get away with banning rainbow flags in Soho.  Lesbian and gay businesses make an enormous contribution to the life of this part of London.  They should be congratulated not discriminated against.  The sooner this decision is overturned the better.'

Alan Wardle, Director of Public Affairs from campaigning organisation Stonewall has also weighed-in.  “Westminster City Council’s decision is very petty and extremely disappointing.  The rainbow flag is an instantly recognisable symbol for lesbians and gay men.  It is absurd that the council are once again rejecting a celebratory emblem of gay and lesbian visibility in the heart of London's gay district,” he said.

Text of the email sent by West End councillors – Glenys Roberts, Ian Wilder, and John Cox  (all Conservatives) to the planning applications sub committee:

“This email is for tabling on behalf of all three West End ward councillors who regretfully cannot be present tonight due to work commitments.

“In view of the current visual clutter in Brewer Street, a situation which offends visitors and discourages the local economy and which our flag policy was designed to address, we strongly urge the committee to heed the officers’ recommendation and refuse this application.

“We have long experience of the flag issue in our ward and want to point out that many established businesses in Bond Street, Wardour Street and Piccadilly have agreed to abide by the flag policy for the good of the area.

“As local councillors we would encourage a review of the policy shortly together with improvements to the whole Soho streetscape in conjunction with the forthcoming Soho action plan -- at which point it would also make sense to review an application on this site.”

21  May  2005