Aberdeenshire council U-turns on Remembrance Day flag decision after public outcry

Aberdeenshire Council has reversed its decision not to fly Union flags over two town halls for Remembrance Sunday, following widespread criticism from local residents and councillors.

The local authority had initially planned to relocate flags from Stonehaven and Inverurie Town Halls on safety grounds – with Stonehaven’s flag due to be raised at another council building half a mile away, and Inverurie’s on a temporary flagpole nearby.

However, after hundreds of people took to social media to voice their frustration, the council announced on Thursday that flags will now fly as normal above both town halls.

A council spokesperson said: “It was always our intention to fly flags in all our main towns to commemorate Remembrance Sunday.

“However, we are responding to feedback from communities and can confirm that we will now commission external contractors to assist in raising and lowering a flag over Inverurie and Stonehaven town halls.”

The spokesperson added that the U-turn was a temporary measure, with officials now exploring “alternative permanent arrangements” for future years due to safety and financial pressures.

The council said the decision reflected the ongoing challenge of maintaining historic buildings; both Stonehaven and Inverurie town halls are more than a century old, while managing tight budgets.

The row comes just weeks after councils across Scotland faced controversy over flag removals, with Aberdeenshire and Falkirk officials reporting incidents of abuse towards workers tasked with taking down flags from lampposts.

Stonehaven Conservative councillor Wendy Agnew was among those who condemned the original decision, calling it “an insult to those who died for our country.”

“I do not wonder at the fury of the people of Stonehaven when the council advised that the Union flag would not be flown on Remembrance Sunday above the Town Hall,” she said. “To have the Lord Lieutenant taking the salute with the flagstaff empty above him would have been unacceptable.”

While flags will now be raised over both town halls this year, questions remain over how the council will handle flag-raising for future Remembrance commemorations.