A council row has erupted after a councillor lodged an official complaint against plans to fly the ‘Progress Pride’ flag outside its HQ.
West Norfolk Council (WNC) confirmed plans to fly the flag outside its HQ in King’s Lynn.
However, there was backlash from independent councillor Dr Pallavi Devulapalli, who claimed the move left the authority vulnerable to a legal challenge.
The GP said “trans ideology” had done “very real harm” to children and young people who expressed some form of gender dysphoria.
Dr Devulapalli had previously been the health spokeswoman for the Green Party of England and Wales before being expelled from Zack Polanski’s party over her criticism of gender ideology.
In an email to WNC’s chief executive Kate Blakemore, Dr Devulapalli said: “Trans ideology is not a harmless ‘inclusive’ ideology as its proponents would have you believe.
“It seeks to confer superior rights to one group of people with a protected characteristic (trans identified men) over those of another (women).
“It has resulted in men who self-identify as women being allowed into women’s refuges, prisons and changing rooms causing immense harm to the safety, privacy and dignity of these women.”
King’s Lynn and West Norfolk councillor for Airfield Ward Dr Pallavi Devulapalli raised the issue
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Dr Devulapalli argued flying the flag would go against the council’s duty to be impartial in political matters.
She added: “Officers arguably acted outwith their remit by making a decision on such a politically sensitive issue,” she went on.
“For all of these reasons, I do not want to see the Progress flag flown on taxpayer-funded buildings.”
Spokeswomen for the Women’s Rights Network Norfolk Ermine Amies added: “Flying the progress flag is not a neutral act. It signals institutional endorsement of an ideology that undermines and opposes women’s legal rights to single‑sex spaces, services, and sports.”
The Intersex-inclusive Pride Progress flag
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GETTYThe flag would fly at West Norfolk Council
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Google Street ViewReform UK’s councillors on WNC had also backed Dr Devulapalli’s comments.
However, independent councillor Jo Rust spoke in support of flying the flag, reports the Eastern Daily Press.
She said: “Trans people are people. I have trans friends and their struggle and experiences deserve recognition. As such it is right that our council flies the Progress flag and I hope it continues.”
GB News has approached WNC for a comment.
Zack Polanski has been a vocal supporter of LGBT+ rights
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PA
A gender row had erupted within Zack Polanski’s party after a campaign group accused the party of orchestrating a “witch-hunt” against members with gender-critical views.
Green Women’s Declaration (GWD) has sent a pre-action letter claiming the party made “a deliberate and unlawful attempt to prevent women from expressing gender-critical views” after withdrawing the group’s stall from last year’s party conference in Bournemouth.
A Greens spokeswoman told The Times: “The Green Party always strives to be a welcoming and inclusive place. After careful consideration, we were unable to grant GWD a stall at our autumn conference 2025, for reasons we explained to them at the time.
“As this matter is now the subject of threatened court proceedings, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
Dr Devulapalli alongside Terry Jermy and Liz Truss at the count
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Dr Devulapalli, who represents the Airfield Ward on WNC, stood for the Green Party in the corresponding South West Norfolk seat in the 2024 General Election, where she finished sixth.
It was the former seat of Liz Truss, who, at that same election, became the first former UK prime minister to lose their seat in an election since 1935, when Ramsay MacDonald lost his Seaham seat.
The seat was won by Labour’s Terry Jermy, who beat Mrs Truss with a majority of 630 votes.