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To celebrate the important place counties play in the nation鈥檚 cultural heritage Secretary of State Eric Pickles has asked that English county standards be flown alongside the Union Flag outside the DCLG鈥檚 Eland House headquarters in Victoria.

Mr Pickles raised the first flag聽- for his adopted home county of Essex - in a ceremony also attended earlier this month by celebrity astrologer and long-time English county campaigner Russell Grant.

Flags are being flown for a week at a time in alphabetical order or - in cases such as Cornwall and Yorkshire - to coincide with particular county days.

Eric Pickles said:

The Union Flag rightly has pride of place outside the department but I鈥檓 delighted it will now be flown alongside our traditional and ceremonial county flags.

English counties continue to form an important part of our cultural and local identity in this country and many people remain deeply attached to their home county - both the traditional 鈥榗ricket鈥� counties and in some cases their more modern administrative successors. This sense of pride and shared identity is 1 of the things that binds communities together and it鈥檚 right that the government department responsible for communities and local government should be actively recognising the important role they play.

David Shakespeare, Leader of Buckinghamshire County Council, said:

Counties are the natural regions of the country. As a county Buckinghamshire has been around since the 10th century when our Saxon ancestors created shires, and certainly so-named since the 12th century. There鈥檚 a deep sense of pride and shared identity within the communities that make up Buckinghamshire, and I鈥檓 delighted the importance of our county is being recognised in this way.

Further information

The department is obliged to fly the European Union flag during Europe Week (week beginning 9 May) under Article 7(2) of EC Regulation 1828/2006.

Photographs of the county flags will be added to the