GREENWICH Council has rejected a request from Conservatives to fly the Woolwich town hall flag at half mast in tribute to Margaret Thatcher.

Tory councillors had wanted the flag to be lowered today for Baroness Thatcher's £10m funeral in central London, where Woolwich's King's Troop played a significant role.

Councillor Nigel Fletcher said: "Whatever your political views, Lady Thatcher was a hugely significant figure, and it is right for the nation to pay proper tribute to her achievements. 

"Across the country, Union flags will be lowered to half-mast for her funeral, and it would be appropriate for Greenwich, as a royal borough, to do the same."

But a spokesman for Greenwich Council said: "The council would normally fly the town hall flag at half-mast for a member of the royal family or other person who might be held to have contributed positively to the life of the borough and it's people.

"To lower the town hall flag to half-mast for a politician creates a precedent which would always involve subjective judgement rather than objective criteria.

"The flag was not flown for two previous Prime Ministers who died in 2005, James Callaghan who actually lived in Greenwich for some time, nor for Edward Heath who represented a neighbouring parliamentary seat.

"More recently, the death of Richard Marsh, former MP for Greenwich, was not marked by lowering the flag."