Overview
- Kent County Council told Harrietsham that flags attached to streetlight columns must be removed before the Christmas lights can be installed for safety reasons.
- Harrietsham Parish Council says it cannot remove the flags or use public funds to pay for removal and warns it may still owe hire fees if the display is cancelled.
- KCC highways chief Peter Osborne counters that the already hired contractor can take down any obstructing flags as part of the job without significant extra cost.
- The flags, reported as Union and St George’s along the A20, were put up over the summer after Reform took control of the county council, which has publicly backed such displays unless they pose a safety risk.
- The parish has appealed to whoever erected the flags to remove them, and local residents have voiced frustration as the stalemate threatens a long‑running village tradition.