MRS HM Ward (Letters, April 20) was right to be outraged by City of York Council’s failure to fly the flag at half-mast for Margaret Thatcher’s funeral.

This disrespectful Labour administration also failed to hoist the Union flag when The Queen visited York Minster on Maundy Thursday last year.

And again these same Socialists, during the four days of national outpouring to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, could not raise the flag once in acknowledge-ment, yet so many other establishments up and down the country managed to.

Now that the £32 million West Offices have been opened, I have searched and searched, but cannot locate a single flagpole. Three handsome ones, which were never used, remain at the vacated St Leonard’s Place offices.

Politicians and officials alike should remember these are public buildings, and not sole domain of the ruling party.

So now without a flagpole the dilemma of “to fly or not to fly the flag” will never bother this council again.

How, l ask, will the council recognise the future death of a member of the Royal Family? Or fly the Red Flag on May Day?

Geoffrey Widdows, East Mount Road, York.