A taxi firm has been forced to remove all poppies and “Lest We Forget” signs after receiving just one complaint.
Swale Borough Council ordered iCars Swale, a Kent-licensed taxi and minicab operator serving the Isle of Sheppey, to make the changes after it was found carrying signage that breached the council’s licensing conditions.
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The company was told that the remembrance symbols constituted unauthorised displays under the borough’s licensing policy and that they must be removed from all vehicles immediately.
Mr Neil McLennan, the owner of the local taxi firm, described the decision as “absolutely disgraceful.”
He told GB News: “All of my drivers feel strongly about it. We’ve had veterans and current servicemen that have worked for us, and to be told that you can’t support them anymore is disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful.
“We’re being told that we cannot support the people who are giving their lives, and that is disgraceful.”
They were also instructed to remove the names designated on three wheelchair-accessible vehicles the firm uses to transport disabled passengers, which were designed to help identify which taxi had been sent to pick them up.
Mr McLennan told the People’s Channel: “They’re named for a specific reason to help people with dementia and Alzheimer’s and learning difficulties and stuff to recognise their car.”
He added: “How can someone feel so aggrieved that you have to take these off the back of a vehicle? It’s not causing anyone any problem. It’s just showing that we support veterans and the guys that have given their lives for us in the past and are currently serving.”
The firm first announced the news on Facebook, writing: “I find myself rather shamefully having to remove Poppies and Lest We Forget signs from our vehicles.
“This is not through choice but as a result of a complaint made about our vehicles to Swale Borough Council about slogans and advertising on them.”
They described the removal of the remembrance displays as “disheartening and disrespectful” to those they sought to honour.
The company attends the Cenotaph in Sheerness to lay a wreath as part of its commitment to honouring the fallen each year, with military veteran and now driver Neville Fourie participating last year.
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The council pointed to clause 5.1 of its licensing policy, which prohibits the display of any “signs, notices, advertisements, plates, marks, numbers, letters, figures, symbols, emblems or devices whatsoever” on licensed vehicles unless specifically approved by the authority.
Councillor Dolley Wooster questioned both the decision and the failure to involve local ward representatives in the process.
In a letter to the council, he wrote: “I cannot find any notes as to why this has been done and why were ward Cllrs not informed of the process so we could come and speak for the business or at least support them?”
He added: “This company goes above and beyond for residents all the time, including support of veterans.”
Customer Charlotte Castle also lodged a formal written complaint with the council, writing: “The poppy is a nationally recognised symbol of remembrance, not simply an advertisement or commercial message.”
She added: “These signs have been displayed on the vehicle for some time, without previously being raised as an issue. I therefore find it difficult to understand why their presence has suddenly become a problem.”
“Kent has a long and significant history in relation to conflict and war, with a large population of veterans, serving personnel, and families who have been directly affected by military service.
“Displaying a poppy and the words ‘Lest We Forget’ is a small but meaningful gesture of respect and support for those individuals and their families. There is no apparent harm or risk caused by these being displayed on a vehicle.”
A spokesman from Swale Borough Council said: “Our licencing team has been allowing the use of the poppy and the Royal British Legion sticker on iCars’ taxis.
“However, following a complaint, we checked the use against our policy, and it is not permitted under our Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy.
“The policy was most recently updated and agreed in 2025 by our Licensing Committee and Policy and Resources Committee, following a public consultation which included feedback from the taxi industry.
“The issue is not about the poppy or the Royal British Legion, which the council supports, but the fact that we received a complaint that the vehicle was not complying with our policy.
“We are aware that iCars has removed the sticker and poppy and we are scheduling a Licensing Sub-Committee meeting to discuss iCars’ request for an exemption from policy.
“The next Licensing Committee meeting will look at the policy to make sure that there is clarity on this issue.”
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