The President of a Ukrainian society in Essex has denied being consulted by the county council about removing its flag from their headquarters.
Vladyslav Shuliar, who leads the Ukrainian society based at the University of Essex, said "nobody reached out to me personally" before the flag was taken down, despite the council's incoming deputy leader, Russell Quirk, insisting he had given his backing to the decision.
The Ukrainian flag had flown outside County Hall in Chelmsford since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, but was replaced by a second Union flag on Friday after Reform UK took control of the local authority following May's local elections.
Reform UK has pledged to fly only Union, national, county or armed forces flags outside its buildings.
Mr Quirk said on Monday the president of the Ukranian society had been consulted and supported the decision.
He told the BBC the Ukrainian community "agrees wholeheartedly" that County Hall "should be political on a local level, but not on a geopolitical level".
When pressed on whether the Ukrainian group at the University of Essex would confirm their agreement if contacted, Mr Quirk said: "The president of the Ukrainian society at the University of Essex has sent an email by response to the leader of this council, Peter Harris, to confirm his solidarity and his agreement with our decision."
He added the president had agreed the move was "a matter of common sense".
Russell Quirk is Deputy Leader of Essex County Council
|BRENTWOOD BOROUGH COUNCIL
However, Mr Shuliar said he had no knowledge of any such exchange and no record of an email with council leader Peter Harris.
In a written statement, the Ukrainian society president said: "We understand and respect the council's decision to fly the Union flag, and we appreciate the statement that support for Ukraine will continue.
"We also hope that the Ukrainian flag will be given a respectful new home, as a reminder that Ukraine and Ukrainians have not been forgotten."
He added the university's Ukrainian society would "always be immensely grateful" to the people of the United Kingdom for their support.
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The Ukrainian Society of the University of Essex said the they had no knowledge of the decision
|Former Conservative MP for Braintree Brooks Newmark, who has been working in Ukraine for his own aid charity, described Reform UK's decision as "a little strange".
He said: "The first move they make is to take down the flag of the people who are fighting and dying on the eastern flank of Europe.
"You can actually walk and chew gum at the same time. You can be patriotic, which I am, and you can be supportive of Ukraine, which I also am."
Ukrainian refugee Vlada Zabielina, who fled her home in the besieged city of Mariupol and now lives in Southend-on-Sea, said the removal of the flag had caused anxiety among the Ukrainian community about whether British support was beginning to wane.
She said: "It makes people wonder if the support is stopping, if the support is switching sides.
"Is it that the support is no longer as strong as it was before? Because people in Ukraine are still suffering."
Shadow Communities Minister James Cleverly also weighed in on the flag removal debate.
He wrote on X: "One of the first decisions made by Essex Reform was to remove the Ukrainian flag from County Council HQ. Let that sink in."
Essex County Council has played a significant role in supporting Ukrainian refugees, being responsible for issuing payments to households taking part in the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
A council spokesman said there would be discussions with the county's Ukrainian community before a new home was found for the flag.
Reform UK has also instructed Thurrock Council, where the party won a large majority at the May 7 elections, to remove the Ukrainian flag flying above its offices in Grays.
A spokesman for Essex County Council said: “We can confirm that 830 Ukrainian guests and 311 Ukrainian sponsors (people who have provided accommodation) were emailed at 12 noon on Friday, May 15. This included a message from the Leader-Elect of the Council about the new flag policy at County Hall.
“Our records indicate Mr Shuliar would have received that message, based on the email address we have registered for him.
“We were grateful for Mr Shuliar’s written statement in response to the Leader-Elect’s message, as we are for the constructive replies we have received from guests regarding where the Ukrainian flag could be flown in the future.”
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