OSWESTRY town councillors will be asked to form a flag policy at Wednesday’s meeting after a member of the public complained about the Pride Progress banner.

The issue has been added to the council’s full agenda this week after a motion from Liberal Democrat councillor Jonathan Upton calling for the flag of Shropshire to be flown.

However, council officers have added to the agenda item the need for a council flag policy after the complaint over the Progress flag which differs from the Pride flag.

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It was flown during Pride celebrations in the town during early summer.

The agenda says: “It would be prudent for the council to agree a flag policy.

“This follows a complaint received from a member of the public for flying the Pride Progress Flag in June.

“Government guidance notes that the Rainbow Flag (six horizontal equal stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet) does not require planning consent, suggesting that the Progress flag does.”

The Pride Progress Flag contains more stripes to represent marginalised people of colour in an arrow shape while the Pride flag contains a more traditional rainbow design.

Meanwhile, Cllr Upton has called for council to decide whether the Guildhall will fly the flag of Shropshire with its leopards heads and blue and yellow design on February 23 each year.

Cllr Upton says his motion is based on the support received for the flying of the banner of St Oswald during a week of celebrations.

His motion said: “I am proposing the town council flies the Shropshire flag to commemorate Shropshire and everything to do with it.

“This would be done on Shropshire Day, originally St. Milburgha of Wenlock's Day, this day has expanded into a wider ‘County Day’.

“As a result, the Shropshire flag is flown by Shropshire Council from the flagpole at Shirehall and by other town and parish Councils throughout the county on this day as well.

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“My request is that we purchase a Shropshire Flag and fly it from our flagpole on February 23 each year as well.

“Given that Shropshire is likely to take a huge knock as an identity once Salopians begin to feel the pinch of the county cutbacks from October, I think it would be a nice gesture to enhance the county's identity in the exact same way we do for Oswestry in August.

“The Shropshire flag is already mass produced and a simple Google search will find dozens of websites and companies who offer this flag in multiple sizes and in different materials for durability.”