A COUNCIL has agreed to review its flag policy after campaigners and an MP piled on pressure to fly an LGBT emblem. 

Abingdon Town Councillors agreed at a special meeting tonight to set up a new working group to review areas of policy including the "raising of flags and banners" in the town. 

It comes weeks after the Conservative majority controversially rejected a Liberal Democrat motion to fly a rainbow flag from County Hall Museum next year, to show support for Oxford Pride festival, stating that it would be against flag-flying policy. 

The decision sparked national outrage and demands for it to reconsider, including from Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood.

Town council leader Mike Badcock, who proposed the "urgent" motion, said at the meeting in Roysse Court: "I have had correspondence in a letter from the member of parliament and will consider what she said, including a range of other measures." 

He stressed that the group had not been set up solely to review the rainbow flag, adding afterwards: "Things have been said. We will review all of the flags and banners."

He said they had problems with banners in Market Place which "could be a danger to people crossing the road" and especially those "playing Pokémon" who he said could to walk into it. 

The five-member group will also review the use of the Market Place, including for cafe seating, and "outside activities on all town council owned properties" by the council or "other bodies". 

It will be made up of Mr Badcock and his Conservative colleagues Vicky Jenkins and Andrew Todd, plus two members of other parties who have not yet been decided. 

Councillor Neil Fawcett, who was among the Liberal Democrats who initially put forward the motion at the end of June to fly the flag, said after the meeting: "If this is a route to overturning the disgraceful decision to not fly the rainbow flag, I welcome it. 

"We continue to argue that Abingdon should show it supports equality by flying the flag". 

Currently the council's flag policy dictates that only a handful of specific flags should be flown from the museum, including the town's crest and the Union Flag. 

The introduction of the new committee means that this will be scrutinised and subject to change. 

Abingdon resident Robert Jordan, who organises Oxford Pride, said: "I was pleasantly surprised, I didn't expect them to back down. I am pleased it's still being spoken about."

But he added: "I am apprehensive to what it will actually deliver, especially as the committee is made up of three conservatives and they are the ones who voted it down in the first place.

"I hope they are not just giving us lip service. If they come back with another 'no' there needs to be a really decent reason. 

"The flag would show we are a diverse town and we are happy to show that."

The 40-year-old set up a petition in the aftermath of the initial decision, demanding that the council raised the flag "to show Abingdon as a place of tolerance and diversity", which has got more than 1,880 signatures.

He added: "When I emailed Mr Badock the response I got was that the decision had been made and didn't have plans to change it.

"It shows unfortunately what kind of people they are, not listening to the people they serve and only listening to the MP."

Last month Ms Blackwood said: "I have written to Abingdon Town Council to ask them to reconsider this decision and fly the rainbow flag next year.

"The rainbow flag is flown by all sorts of groups and organisations, political and non-political alike, from Oxford colleges, to Government buildings, the Bank of England and councils up and down the country.

"The flag is a symbol of pride in our diversity."