The Pride flag will fly from a Warwickshire County Council building for the rest of Pride month – albeit away from the front of the main building.

The long-running saga over Reform UK's flag policy, which banned anything other than the Union Jack, St George's Cross and Warwickshire's county flag being flown at the council's Shire Hall headquarters without special dispensation, saw more than 30 requests to fly Pride flags or symbols of trans-rights turned down.

The policy saw the chair of the council granted sole discretion over what exceptions would be made with each of the rejections happening on then-Reform UK councillor Ed Harris's watch.

However, the first request made to fly a Pride flag since Cllr Dale Keeling took the chair has seen it put up on the single flagpole at the grade-I listed and council-owned Old Shire Hall on Northgate Street, Warwick, around the corner from the front of the main council headquarters on Market Place.

It comes after a letter asking for the Pride flag to be flown was sent in by Conservative councillor Dean Richards on May 17 with the approval, granted on Friday (June 5), providing middle ground following an acrimonious and public row between councillors and even senior officials over the past year.

A symbol of support for the LGBTQ+ community, Pride flags were flown throughout June – Pride month – at the discretion of county council chief executive Monica Fogarty.

In late-June last year, leader Cllr George Finch requested it be taken down. Ms Fogarty refused and invited Cllr Finch to bring forward a policy if he wished to alter what had been standard practice.

At the time, Cllr Finch sold the policy as being free from political interference of whoever is in charge of the council at the time but he is still asked about it in interviews now and stood by his view that only the three specified flags should be flown in a recent appearance on Channel 5, although he did say he had no problem with the Ukraine flag being flown for one day to recognise the anniversary of the conflict.

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That was passed by Cllr Keeling, while flying of the Armed Forces flag during Armed Forces Week (Monday, June 22 to Saturday, June 27, inclusive) is also scheduled to be put up despite no request for it appearing on the council's record of decisions.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Cllr Finch in April whether he would be equally supportive of the Pride flag being put up as he had been over the Ukraine flag decision, which was taken in February.

"I wouldn't be very happy," he said.

Asked if he would bring any influence to bear on Cllr Keeling's decision, Cllr Finch replied: "It is not my job. Would I have a conversation with him? Yes.

"On council buildings there shouldn't be the Pride flag at all. The three (standard) flags represent everybody in the county. No matter what your sexual orientation, it is irrelevant really, it is whether you are a good person or not.

"I just don't see it as a thing."

He argued the council had "gone out of its way to virtue signal that we support all these groups" in the past, "but we haven't actually done much to support them".

Asked whether there was more to do in relation to that support, Cllr Finch said: "The council should not be there to support all these groups, we'd go bankrupt.

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"I don't care whether you're gay, lesbian, trans, whatever, as long as you do a good job. If you want to wear a dress one day, I genuinely don't care as long as you do your work which the taxpayer pays you to do."

Put to him that the policy had been seen as taking away long-standing support for LGBTQ+ people, Cllr Finch said the council had "much bigger things" to focus on, like " deficits and potholes".

He added: "The hard-working class of people that pay their way, work day in, day out, that can't afford a holiday or two fancy cars, what are their priorities for council staff?

"Is it hard work and good value for money for what they pay them or to be singing and dancing with flags everywhere? I think there is a priority here and my priority is the first option.

"I am not spending any more time talking about flags or how people feel. We have a job to do here, we need to run it like a business in that sense and work hard.

"We only have one shot at turning this council around."

Cllr Finch has been approached for further comment following Friday's decision.