WHILE public buildings in the town flew their flags at half-mast earlier this week to mark the death of Baroness Thatcher, there was one notable exception... the Labour-run borough council.

The Union Flag flew at half-mast from the Conservative-controlled county council and outside the town’s Crown Court building next to the borough’s Grafton House headquarters.

But Ipswich Borough Council’s Union Flag flew defiantly from the top of its flagpole.

A spokesman for the borough said they had received no advice from central government on how the flag should be flown – and it was decided to fly it as normal.

It was not a political decision, the spokesman added, and was taken by chief executive Russell Williams who will decide early next week whether to fly it at half-mast on Wednesday, the day of Baroness Thatcher’s ceremonial funeral.

He said: “There was no advice from the government, it is up to individual bodies what should happen.

“Suffolk County Council did not fly their flag at half-mast until the day after the death was announced – both Norfolk and Norwich councils put their flags at half-mast straight away.

“No politicians were involved in the decision about flying the flag – and no councillors or members of the public have made any representations to us about it.”

At the county council, politicians were consulted before a decision was made to fly their Union Flag at half-mast on Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be flown at half-mast again on Wednesday to mark the funeral.

A spokesman said: “There were consultations and there was an awareness of what government buildings were doing. We will be flying it at half-mast again on Wednesday.”

The county is flying its own flag as normal in the meantime.

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