'Fly the flag for our bostin' Black Country' - Dudley Council to debate motion on flying the Black Country flag

Councillor Pete Lowe has tabled a motion which will be considered before next week's meeting of Dudley Council, calling for the Black Country Flag to be celebrated.

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Councillor Lowe, leader of the recently formed Black Country Party, put forward the motion in response to Reform UK's decision that only the Union Jack and St George's cross should be flown from public buildings belonging to council's it controlled. 

The party later amended its directive to allow the flying of county flags.

Councillor Lowe, who represents Lye and Stourbridge North, asked the council to reaffirm its commitment to the flying of the flag, and encouraging businesses and other organisations to follow suit.

"We ask this council to note the positive impact that our Black Country flag has had within Dudley, both economically and culturally," he said.

Councillor Lowe said it was important for the council to continue its policy of flying the red, white and black flag on Black Country Day, July 14, each year.

"We ask the council to reaffirm its commitment to fly our Black Country flag with pride on July 14, and any other historic or important date in our calendar," he said, with the exception of days on which the council received directions that the Union Jack or other flags should be raised. 

He also urged the council to "Continue to encourage business and buildings to raise the flag and promote our bostin' Black Country'."

The Black Country flag, which depicts the region's iron, chain-making and glass industries, was designed by 11-year-old Gracie Sheppard in a competition in 2012

Gracie, a pupil at Redhill School in Stourbridge, won £200 in a competition organised by the Black Country Living Museum. Her design was used to promote the first Black Country Day, on July 14, 2013.

The colours of red and black were chosen to reflect American author Elihu Burritt’s description of the area as ‘black by day and red by night’, owing to the smoke and fires of industry he witnessed in the 19th century, while the image of a glass cone and chains in white represented two of the region's mots famous industries.

The flag was placed in the national spotlight in 2017 when the then new MP for Wolverhampton North East said she believed it had 'racist connotations'.

“I have serious concerns about the racist connotations of the flag, particularly the fact that chains are being used to represent the Black Country," Miss Smith said.

“The white on black imagery used together with the chains . . . when you break it down I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t worry me as a black person. People have to understand that it can be seen as offensive."

The Black Country Party was formed in May this year by six former Labour councillors who left the party after voicing dissatisfaction with Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.