Council blames England flags for graffiti delays as locals fume at ‘large spike’
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has seen a ‘big spike’ in graffiti complaints – with the authority taking too long to remove the offensive or non-offensive graffiti
A council has been hit with a ‘massive surge’ in graffiti complaints – triggered by England flags being daubed on roundabouts and zebra crossings. Stoke-on-Trent City Council is struggling to clear the offensive or non-offensive graffiti quickly enough.
The matter was brought up during the most recent housing, regeneration and operations overview and scrutiny committee meeting.
Carol Gibbs, director of housing, development and growth, informed the committee: “We have not been able to respond to the graffiti as quickly as we wanted to. Please be aware that the reporting of graffiti was all around the painting of England flags across a number of areas.
“So what happened was literally overnight or a few nights we saw that huge spike. The only way we could report that was through the graffiti page. That’s why there has been a big spike in that.”
The England flag phenomenon swept across Stoke-on-Trent during late August. Graffiti removal data covering July to September remains undisclosed by the council.
However, statistics for April to June reveal complaint numbers were already climbing – when measured against the equivalent period the previous year. Statistics reveal that the council received 54 complaints about offensive graffiti and 63 complaints about non-offensive graffiti between April and June 2024.
The council took an average of 10.6 days to remove offensive and 10.5 days to remove non-offensive graffiti during that time. However, this increased to 15.1 days for non-offensive graffiti and 15.7 days for offensive graffiti between April and June this year.
The council received 57 complaints about offensive graffiti and 63 complaints about non-offensive graffiti. The delay from April to June has been attributed to staff absences and a focus on removing fly-tipping.
Earlier this year, on England flags, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “People have a right to peaceful protest. It is core to our country’s values.
“But we will not stand for assaults on police officers doing their job or for people feeling intimidated on our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin.
“Britain is a nation proudly built on tolerance, diversity and respect. Our flag represents our diverse country and we will never surrender it to those that use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division.”
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