A new flag for Swindon doesn’t seem likely - despite at least one suggestion that the council adopts a new standard.

A report to Swindon Borough Council’s standards committee suggests members do not take forward the suggestion by a local artist to council leader David Renard and chief executive Susie Kemp to adopt a new borough flag to be used alongside the existing one.

The report says: ”There would need to be some form of consultation or competition so that other people or groups would have the opportunity to present designs. The choice would have to be open, transparent and fair.

“Resource would have to be allocated to support any such consultation, which could distract them from being able to deliver the council’s agreed priorities and the current protocol would need to be amended to account for which borough flag would be flown on what days.

“For the reasons stated above, members are recommended not to seek to introduce an additional borough flag.”

The council has quite a rigorous flag policy, about which flags may be flown, where and when.

It even states in which order the UK, the England and the Swindon borough flag should be flown.

The policy states: “Flags are flown at the discretion of the chief operating officer in consultation with the leader of the Council.

“Unless specified otherwise, it is presumed that the usual order from left to right looking at the Civic will be Flag of St George – Union Flag (Centre pole) – Borough Flag.

“The Borough Flag is normally flown on a daily basis but, in any event, shall be flown as follows: Mayor-making day; the Sunday of the civic service, the mayor's birthday and  major celebrations of or affecting the borough for example, freedom of the borough ceremonies.”

In March last year it was announced that councils were to be asked to fly the union flag from their main buildings every day- which is something that Swindon Borough Council has been doing for years.

It adopted the practice of flying all three flags every day as standard after the previous government rule, which specified the days on which the flag could be flown from public buildings was scrapped by then Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2008.

The standards committee will meet at 5pm on Monday. The meeting will be webcast using a link on the meeting calendar on swindon.gov.uk