Local Tories have been asking why Bradford Council did not lower the flag over City Hall on Monday to mark the death of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

A national protocol on the flying of the Union Flag states it should be lowered to half-mast on the funeral of a former Prime Minister only.

But local Conservatives are calling for the protocol in Bradford to be changed.

Councillor Glen Miller, leader of the Conservative Group, said he had asked the Council to lower the flag, but had been told it was not protocol to do so until the day of the funeral.

But he said other councils across the country, including many Labour-controlled councils, had gone against protocol and lowered their flags.

He said: “I am now unable to decide whether officers at Bradford are not as free to take decisions which require initiative, or whether it was simply decided that there was no real desire to lower the flag to show respect to a former Conservative Prime Minister, because it is a Labour-led Council.”

Coun Miller said he would be asking for protocol to be amended to allow Council officers to use their initiative, rather than having an “overly prescriptive” rule.

He said: “I know all too well that many Labour councillors will lose little sleep over Lady Thatcher’s passing, but there are a good many of us who recognise the numerous ways in which her actions benefited the country.”

Coun Imran Hussain, deputy leader of the Council, said the decision to lower the flag only on the day of Lady Thatcher’s funeral, had not been influenced by party politics. He said while the Council leadership was happy to reconsider protocols, the guidelines should be consistent and impartial.

He said: “It is important to have consistency in these matters and it should not be a matter of arbitrary decision-making to decide who has flags lowered in their honour.”

Coun Hussain said while Tories were unhappy with the decision not to lower the flag, others could have been unhappy if they had lowered it.

A Council spokesman said: “The national protocol states that flags should be flown at half-mast on the day of funerals of Prime Ministers and ex-Prime Ministers unless a special command has been given by the Queen. The flags will be lowered to half-mast next Wednesday on the day of former Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher's funeral.”