Maldon Town Council has voted to purchase a rainbow flag to be flown at Moot Hall during Pride Week in June, but refused permission to fly it for weddings.

Members of the town council's finance and general purposes committee came to the decision last night (Monday, 16 August), after considering the request from Moot Hall to buy the flag to be flown during Pride Week and for weddings at the venue.

Council members agreed to buy the flag on behalf of the venue, at a cost of £82.95 plus VAT, to be flown during Pride Week, but refused to allow the venue to fly it during weddings as they said it would set a "precedent".

Councillor Jeanette Stilts said: "I think we're setting a precedent if we fly it at weddings, because then why aren't we flying flags for other people?"

Councillor Stephen Nunn said: "What I have a problem with is a blanket acceptance that it will be flown during gay weddings because the individual couple might not want to."

Moot Hall is a small Grade I listed building on Maldon High Street available for weddings and civil ceremonies, of which it holds between 12 and 15 a year.

Friends of the Moot Hall Charitable Trust has a 25-year lease of the building, which is owned by the town council. The Trust manages Moot Hall to enable the public to enjoy the town's history and hold special ceremonies.

The Trust applied for a ceremonies licence to enable it to offer weddings for LGBT+ people at the venue, which was granted in 2011. It is one of the only places in Maldon currently licensed to do so.

Councillor Tony Shrimpton said: "I'm happy about the flag being flown during Pride Week.

"I'm not very keen on calling same-sex weddings weddings.

"When you're talking about same-sex weddings, you're not talking about weddings."

Councillor Andrew Lay, deputy town mayor and chairman of the committee, said: "There are different views in the town council about that."

Essex County Council and Maldon District Council fly the rainbow flag in June to celebrate Essex Pride each year.

Councillor Stilts proposed that the town council purchase the flag but refuse permission for it to be flown during weddings, saying that it would "set a precedent".

Councillor Carlie Mayes seconded this proposal, which was voted through with six councillors for, one against and one abstention.