A plan to wave the Pride progress flag in Bracknell in a boon to LGBTQ+ people has been met with concerns that the council is 'playing favourites'. 

Hundreds of people in Bracknell celebrated its second ever Pride event this year with a parade and performances at the bandstand area in The Avenue.

Pride was a day-long celebration facilitated by Bracknell Forest Council, The Lexicon shopping centre, Thames Valley Police and authorities on Saturday, July 20.

Now there are plans for the 'Pride Progress' flag to be waved on the flagpole outside of the council offices at Time Square for the duration of Pride Month every June.

The 'pride progress' flag is different from the rainbow LGBTQ+ flag as it incorporates blue, pink and white to represent transgender people, and black and brown to recognise people of colour.

But the project has faced opposition, with a former councillor and parliamentary candidate accusing the council of 'playing favourites' and politicising the flagpole.

Malcolm Tullett, objecting to the plan, said: "By choosing to fly the Pride Progress flag, BFC is effectively playing favourites, choosing to spotlight certain issues while ignoring others.

"The council has not provided planning applications for flags representing other protected characteristics under the Equality Act, such as those for disability, race, or religious beliefs.

"This selective approach to representation can alienate parts of the community and does not reflect the diverse and inclusive ethos that public institutions should embody.

Malcolm Tullett. 

"It is imperative that the council maintains its role as an impartial body that does not engage in political favouritism or endorse any ideological stances that could detract from its primary duty to represent all members of the community fairly and equally.

"Instead, I propose the council focus on initiatives and symbols that truly unite the community and respect the wide range of beliefs and values held by its constituents."

Mr Tullett was the Reform UK candidate for the Bracknell parliamentary constituency in the general election this year, coming in third place behind James Sunderland, the then Conservative MP, and victor Peter Swallow from the Labour Party.

He also served on Bracknell Forest Council from 2015 to 2021, after he resigned from the council that summer.

Mr Tullett was also a Bracknell town councillor until July 2022.

You can view the application by typing reference 24/00411/A into the council's planning portal.

No other comments of support or objection are visible.

Similar pride flags have been flown outside the offices of neighbouring councils such as Reading and Wokingham.