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Gay flag row: Council slams mayor over "artificial wedge"
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK
Wednesday 19 January, 2005 13:17 | More from this date | Today's headlines

Westminster Council has accused Ken Livingstone of driving an "artificial wedge" between them and the city's gay community, in the row over whether gay rainbow flags should be allowed to fly in Soho.

In a letter to the mayor, the council's conservative leader Simon Milton has accused him of acting irresponsibly in the argument.

He says that, rather than forcing gay businesses to remove rainbow flags, the council is asking them to apply for planning permission so they can fly the flags.

Livingstone yesterday accused the council of "offending" the city's LGBT population, implying that the removal of rainbow flags from gay bars, clubs and businesses was an attack on cultural "identity".

Despite a spokesperson apparently claiming the flags were being used as advertising, Mr Milton says the argument is more about the logistics of planning.

"I think they (people) will be rather more offended by your contemptible attempt to drive an artificial wedge between the council and the gay community for party political purposes," the BBC reports him as writing.

"If gay-owned businesses want to fly a rainbow flag, they need to make a planning application."

"Provided it is not out of keeping in size or scale with the streetscape, I am confident that members of the planning committee will be sympathetic," he promised.

Livingstone said the letter shows the council is "backing down" on the issue.

Meanwhile, the majority of clubs and bars around the Soho area of London have taken down their flags, after being threatened with fines.

Business owners were told they could be fined for as much as £250 a day should they continue to fly the flags without permission.