Reform UK council leader George Finch has been cleared after a dispute over the controversial “Progress” Pride flag.
Mr Finch, the nation’s youngest-ever council leader, was accused of failing to adequately engage with Warwickshire County Council’s chief executive Monica Fogarty.
Mr Finch emailed Ms Fogarty last June asking to remove the Progress flag from the town hall.
He said he had “asked many times” for the flag to be taken down in person and over email and that he had meetings about it.
However, she refused his pleas, then criticised the council leader for the way he engaged with her.
Ms Fogarty admitted he had a right to make the decision, and was backed by the sub-committee that presided over the case.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf weighed in on the issue.
Mr Farage warned the council executive thought she “knew better than the people” and told her to “look for a new job”.
Solicitor Claire Ward led an independent investigation into the row, claiming Mr Finch had breached the council’s conduct by failing to “value colleague and staff and engage with them in an appropriate manner”.
Ms Ward said in a hearing there was no problem with the initial communication from the council leader.
But the level of engagement that followed the email was found to be lacking, as the solicitor said there was “no communication with what would happen”.
Ms Fogarty was questioned by the sub-committee on if Mr Finch had the right to make the decision to remove the Progress Pride Flag and to engage with her via email.
The executive claimed the council leader’s language was “authoritarian” and there was no opportunity for her to offer professional advice ahead of such decisions.
Mr Finch, however, defended his right to make the decision, adding that the authority did not have a policy on flags at the time and could not “fathom” how email communication not could be considered proper communication.
He added: “As we all understand, this is a member-led organisation and, as acting leader, it was my right to ask those questions.”
Warwickshire County Council now allows only three flags to be flown – the Union flag, the Cross of St George and the Warwickshire County Flag, with exceptions for the Armed Forces Covenant flag during Armed Forces Week.
The Progress Pride flag is different than the Rainbow Pride flag, incorporating design elements of the transgender flag and intersex flag, as well as black and brown stripes to “represent marginalised people of colour”.
Mr Finch said the level of media coverage he received was “irrelevant” and explained that he used email to create a “paper trail”.
The three-person sub-committee, consisting of Reform UK councillor John Waine, Conservative councillor Yousef Dahmash and Liberal Democrat Richard Dickson, decided there was no breach of conduct in a two-to-one vote.
Mr Dahmash, the chairman, said the reasons would be detailed in a decision notice to be published “as soon as possible”.
Warwick District Council, the planning authority for Warwick, previously said “advertising consent” was needed to fly the flag.
