Stafford Pride issues open letter to council on Pride flag decision

Stafford Pride organisers, Jack Taylor and Luke Bickley, have issued an open letter to Stafford Borough Council expressing their disappointment in the decision not to fly a Pride flag above the civic centre. In a letter to Councillor Aidan Godfrey, leader of Stafford Borough Council, they wrote:

“We are writing to you today to express our deep disappointment in Stafford Borough Council’s decision not to fly the pride flag above the Civic Centre and also outside of Stafford Train Station. As members of the LGBTQ+ community and the organisers of Stafford’s first Pride event, we; along with many others believe that it is essential for organisations to show their support for diversity and inclusion, during Pride Month and especially at the inaugural event for the County Town.

Flying the pride flag is not only a symbol of acceptance and support for the LGBTQ+ community but also a statement against discrimination and hate, which our community is still subject to. By choosing not to fly the flag, Stafford Borough Council is sending a message that it does not value, prioritise or support the rights and wellbeing of its LGBTQ+ community across the area it serves, we truly hope this is not the case.

“So, we urge you to reconsider your decision and to show your support for the LGBTQ+ community by flying the pride flag during Stafford’s first Pride Festival on Saturday 10th August. Doing so would not only demonstrate your commitment to diversity and inclusion but also create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all individuals.

“We hope that you will take this feedback into consideration and make the right decision to fly the pride flag for this momentous occasion in the town's history.”

Speaking to Midlands Rainbow, Stafford Pride added that they have received a lot of support and time from the Council up to this decision which they are grateful for. This was also confirmed by a Council spokesperson, Will Conaghan, who said that the Borough Council had offered to fly the Pride flag on the poles outside the train station and in Victoria Park, put up bunting on the high street, advertise the event, offered free car parking for on the day, waived some costs of staging the event at Victoria Park, increase lighting and CCTV, and other efforts of support.

Conaghan also said that the council limits the use of flags above the civic centre to the Union, borough and mayoral flags as well as national flags on key dates to ‘respect tradition’, reported the BBC.

Many councils, however, including Wolverhampton and Sandwell have flown pride flags to mark pride month or local pride events.

The Council spokesperson also added that they were disappointed in Stafford Pride for ignoring and misrepresenting the considerable amount of support the council has given to stage the event, to which Stafford Pride issued a further statement in which they explained:

“We have always been thankful [for] their support and we wholly deny ‘misrepresenting and ignoring’ their support but this matter is not about transactional items or services in kind, this is about standing side-by-side with the LGBTQ+ community. It’s about flying a flag, a symbol to remember the heartache, loss and fight for the rights that have got us to where we are today. It’s about acceptance and solidarity. It’s about doing the right thing. It’s about love.”

They end their statement by asking one more time for Stafford Borough Council to fly the pride flag above the civic centre.

Stafford Pride will hold its first event on Saturday 10th August. Find out more and book tickets by following this link.