Back in March this year, I proposed a motion at Bolton Council to create a Bolton Flag. The purpose of this motion was to create something local people could be proud of; and which would improve civic pride.
The idea caught on with a number of Boltonians and I received support from vexillologists from far and wide. The idea has a lot of strength to it and it has proven to be successful in many places around the world; including cities such as Chicago (where service people proudly display the Chicago flag) and Amsterdam (whose city flag is, quite frankly, badass).
Naturally, Labour lambasted me for it and voted it down en masse despite the many advantages of the idea.
Now Jake Berry, the Northern Powerhouse Minister, has called for County Flags to be flown and signs about old county boundaries to be erected, to encourage people to learn more about their local heritage; and to foster civic pride.
Clearly the time of our local flags has come at last. I welcome this move with open arms. We absolutely need to be more aware of our local heritage and we absolutely need to actively build more community cohesion. This is a great idea and I will be writing to Mr Berry to express to him the keenness I have seen in Boltonians who want to embrace their heritage. This can only be a good thing; and we can all certainly do with more of that.