A COUNTY councillor is against red, white and blue bunting in Ledbury's streets, to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday, because she fears it will upset foreign visitors.

Cllr Liz Harvey made her plea at last week's full town council meeting in the Methodist Church Hall, The Homend, when the manner of marking the Queen's birthday was discussed.

She said of the bunting: "Could I make a plea that it isn't red, white and blue, if we are going to have it."

The colours represent the colours in the Union Flag of the United Kingdom, and the idea is that the bunting will be flying on her official birthday of June 11, and also for the Herefordshire Armed Forces Day, which will be held in Ledbury for the first time this year, on June 25.

Red, white and white bunting was very much in evidence in Ledbury streets, in 2012, to mark the London Olympics and the passage of the Olympic torch through the town centre.

But Cllr Harvey explained that she had talked to Irish visitors who had felt "unsettled" by the patriotic bunting in the town, and she asked for other colours to be chosen this time, "so as not to make people feel unsettled".

But other councillors at the meeting strongly disagreed.

Cllr Elaine Fieldhouse said: "It's for the Queen's birthday, and we are red, white and blue, and that is what we'll have."

Cllr Bob Barnes said: "The events are a celebration of the Queen and Great Britain, and the members of the armed forces who fought under the Union flag."

Speaking after the meeting, Ledbury's mayor, Cllr Annette Crowe said: "Yes, the bunting should be red, white and blue."

Cllr Crowe said she was half-Irish herself, but she added: "We are talking about our Queen and our country."

Not every Ledbury town councillor is in favour of the monarchy, however.

Cllr Tony Bradford said it was "no secret" that he was a Republican.

Speaking at the meeting, he said: "I suggest we give money to the Ledbury food bank, to celebrate the Queen's birthday."

Several other councillors also thought this would be a good idea.

Cllr Noel Roberts proposed buying in more red, white and blue bunting, "Union Jack" colours,  for a total cost of £500, and this was agreed by a vote.

Cllr Harvey voted against the proposal.

Cllr Roberts said: "I also think that Tony's idea of giving something to the food bank is quite a good idea."

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Harvey said: "The bunting bought previously by the Town Council had been for the Olympic Flame tour of Britain and was Union Jack bunting which was then left up for the rest of the season.

"My suggestion that colourful, but not necessarily flag or exclusively Red-White-Blue bunting, would be more suitable if it was going to stay up all summer. I referenced a conversation I had had with some Irish visitors during the poetry festival, who had been unsure why the town was decked out in Union flags. They asked if it was some sort of political or sectarian statement – as was their personal experience of the flags and painted kerb stones back home."

On another Facebook site, (Town Talk: Ledbury Politics) where this issue was discussed, Cllr Harvey clarified this point.

She said: "The people I spoke to had a very different experience of the British Flag used in a blanket manner (as the bunting was in 2012): being used as a symbol of intollerant nationalism under which they had grown up afraid. Not everyone's experience of people's motives for waving the Union Jack is a positive one."

In a statement to the Reporter, Cllr Harvey said: "Just to be clear – I am not against the Royal family or the Union flag or the Queen or our armed forces or the commemoration of our war dead or bunting or the colours red-white-blue.I was simply making the point that if the bunting was for all summer long then having it in a variety of colours might be worth considering.

"In suggesting this I was not being unpatriotic, as some would care to imply. If flag bunting is to go up specifically for the Queen’s birthday or WW1 events, I would support that wholeheartedly; but personally I don’t feel the need to wear my flag on my sleeve and neither do I feel the need to swathe the town in red white and blue unless there’s a longer-lived patriotic point needing to be made."