Fake council letter shared on Facebook

A fake letter has been shared online claiming British flags will be put up on Worcestershire roundabouts by the county council.

The Worcester Patriots Facebook page has shared a picture of a letter claiming to be from the communications office at Worcestershire County Council.

It has the council’s logo at the top of the page and an attempt has been made to make it seem as if some words have been redacted.

It claims £70,000 has been allocated “to fund the installation of British flagpoles and flags at selected roundabouts, traffic islands, and other prominent locations”.

But the letter is not signed by anyone and the details are of a project the council has already said is not happening.

A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: “We can confirm that the letter being shared on social media regarding funding of flag poles is fake and is not an official letter from the council.

“We take sharing of fake information seriously and have reported it through the official channels.

“Our position has not changed. The council has not committed any funds for the installation of flag poles.”

The fake letter was shared after the Local Democracy Reporting Service fact-checked initial claims by Worcester Patriots about the alleged £70,000 flag spend – finding them to be without merit.

City councillor Ed Kimberley said there are a number of red flags indicating the letter is a fake.

“Why is the sum of money pledged here so similar to the amount spent on a similar project in Nottingham?” he asked.

“Why would a council that’s just put up taxes by nine percent choose now as the moment to greenlight a controversial vanity project like this?

“Disinformation works on the basis of getting you to react first, think later. And this is clearly doing that to people on both sides of the aisle. It’s outraging some, and delighting others.”

He added: “Our roundabouts are likely to remain as flag-free as they currently do – barring the dregs left over from Operation Raise the Colours.”