Reform UK will bring forward a flag policy for Warwickshire County Council in September with wary rivals braced to oppose. 

Leader Cllr George Finch confirmed he is in dialogue with senior council officials as to whether the decision should be taken by the cabinet – the panel of Reform UK councillors in charge of major service areas – or taken to a vote of all councillors.

Reform runs a minority administration through holding 22 out of 57 council seats, meaning that if the rest of the parties oppose the plans they could yet be halted. 

Even if the decision is taken by the cabinet, other councillors can ask for it to be reconsidered or reviewed by the relevant overview and scrutiny panel via the 'call-in' process.

If six or more councillors object, they can request that the issue is voted on by all councillors, a right that the leaders of the Liberal Democrat (15 councillors) and Conservative (nine councillors) groups reserved the right to do.

It follows on from the public row that erupted at the end of June when Cllr Finch asked the council's chief executive Monica Fogaarty to remove the Progress Pride flag that had been flying for Pride month – she refused and was vilified by Reform's head of DOGE Zia Yusuf and party leader Nigel Farage MP.

The matter was revisited in Cllr Finch's recent interview with the Daily Mail where he was quoted as saying that "the Union flag, the St George's flag and the county flag" would be flown from Shire Hall's three flagpoles. 

Lib Dem leader Cllr Jerry Roodhouse said his group had yet to be briefed on Reform's plans despite having had meetings on other matters recently. 

He said his councillors would have to discuss the matter once details are published but isn't keen on the principle of what could come.

"There are more than three flags," he said.

"We're not just talking about the Pride flag, people have been flying the Ukraine flag and other flags around Warwickshire that represent community organisations and the work that they do.

"It is a bit discriminatory to go down the route they are suggesting, just the three flags."

He suggested one compromise could be to install a fourth flag pole at Shire Hall specifically for community flags. 

Asked whether the Lib Dems would call in the decision, Cllr Roodhouse said: "We would seriously look at that if we felt the policy needed that further scrutiny, another pair of eyes."

Conservative leader Cllr Adrian Warwick - whose group's decision not to vote in the most recent leadership ballot saw Cllr Finch beat Cllr Roodhouse to control of the council via the chair's casting vote after a 23-23 draw - said the matter would be discussed at a group meeting next week.

On the prospect of a call-in, he replied: "We would need to see the policy and assess it. If it was taken by cabinet and the group was not happy with the decision then we would do a call-in."

He confirmed the Conservatives had been made aware that a flag policy would be coming forward but said there had been no direct conversations about what it would look like.

Cllr Finch said: "The three flags that will be flying from Shire Hall will be the St George's, the union and the county flags.

"I believe that they are the ones that should be flown on all official council buildings unless there are exceptions such as the Royal Standard if there is a royal visit, (or) the Armed Forces Day flag."

He said it would be inappropriate to comment on any other flags – including the Pride and Ukraine flags that have flown at Shire Hall in recent months under authority that had been delegated to Ms Fogarty – ahead of the policy being published on the council's forward plan.

Cllr Finch added: "We are going to put it through in September, I am working with officers to see whether that will be through full council or cabinet."

He accused Cllr Roodhouse of "assuming" what was to come before seeing the policy and emphasised that one of the purposes of the decision was to ensure councillors have the final say.

"We believe that it should be clear that elected representatives and leaders call the shots at councils. This is one step forward in ensuring that happens," he concluded.