The authority has applied to hoist Progress Pride flag to be “inclusive city”
Alison Stephenson Local Democracy Reporter
15:00, 01 Apr 2026
Flagpoles outside the Plymouth Guildhall.(Image: Plymouth City Council)
Plymouth City Council’s plans to fly the Progress Pride flag from the Guildhall to be “an inclusive city” have met with disapproval from a Christian and women’s rights group who claim it is “unlawful”.
The council has submitted an application to hoist the flag on a flagpole outside the historic building.
The Progress Pride flag adds chevrons in black, brown, pink, blue and white to the traditional six colour rainbow flag to represent marginalised groups, emphasising continued progress, intersectionality and the inclusion of trans individuals, people of color, intersex people and people living with HIV/AIDS.
Under the plans, the flag would be flown during LGBTQ+ History Month in February, during Pride month in June and International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on May 17.
The council wants to fly a wide range of flags to celebrate the diversity of the city’s residents in line with its new Commemorations and Celebrations Policy.
But Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, alleged that flying the flag breaches laws around political neutrality in the Local Government Act 1986.
She said flying the flag at a time when the government and the courts have been actively moving to protect the psychological and physical health of young people and safe spaces for women from overreaching interpretations of transgender-related laws was clearly “a political statement”.
She warned that the move could be open to judicial review.
Cathy Larkman from the Women’s Rights Network was quoted in the Telegraph as saying the council was “signalling their allegiance and support for men who want to call themselves women and enter women’s spaces”.
She said the council would not be complying with the Supreme Court judgement which determined that the legal definition of a woman did not include transgender women who hold a Gender Recognition Certificate.
Five judges ruled that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
The network claimed Plymouth council’s policies allowed any employee to use the facilities of the opposite sex.
“Plymouth are telling their own female staff they don’t matter, and that men can access their spaces. The message this sends to the wider female public is that their rights are also dispensable.
“The flag is just another way of displaying their contempt for women’s rights.
“There is something inherently rotten in our councils when they do not respect women’s rights to privacy, dignity and safety.”
A Plymouth City Council spokesperson said it had submitted a planning application that would enable it to fly “a wide-range of flags on the city centre flagpoles that recognise and celebrate the diversity of our residents, businesses, and visitors”.
“Plymouth City Council does not consider the rainbow flag or the trans flag to be connected to any political party. It is a flag that represents people,” they said. “Plymouth is an inclusive city and we do not discriminate against any group or community.
“Flying different flags throughout the year reflects the many identities and cultures that make up our city.
“Displaying the rainbow flag is one of the ways we demonstrate our commitment to ensuring all our LGBTQ+ residents, staff and visitors feel valued, respected and represented.”
As part of the council’s new policy agreed earlier this year, people making requests for flags to be flown from council buildings or landmarks lit up will have to submit a formal online form at least two months in advance.
Cllr Chris Penberthy (Lab, St Peter and the Waterfront), cabinet member for housing, cooperative development and communities, said it would bring an end to last-minute requests to the council to commemorate events, which was “increasingly becoming the case”.
