Road names could also be saved from the “revisionist purge” of Labour councils under the changes. The legislation would require planning permission for any changes and a minister would be given the final veto. The plans follow the toppling of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston last year and further demands on the removal of controversial monuments.
Four people were later charged with criminal damage over the removal of the Colston statue, and six people accepted conditional cautions over their involvement.
The communities secretary says Britain should not try to edit or censor its past.
Any decision to remove heritage assets in England would require planning permission and a consultation with local communities.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph he said: “Our view will be set out in law, that such monuments are almost always best explained and contextualised, not taken and hidden away.”
Mr Jenrick added that he had noticed an attempt to set a narrative which seeks to erase part of the nation’s history, saying this was “at the hand of the flash mob, or by the decree of a ‘cultural committee’ of town hall militants and woke worthies”.
He added: “We live in a country that believes in the rule of law, but when it comes to protecting our heritage, due process has been overridden. That can’t be right.
“Local people should have the chance to be consulted whether a monument should stand or not.
“What has stood for generations should be considered thoughtfully, not removed on a whim or at the behest of a baying mob.”
The death of George Floyd while in the custody of police in Minneapolis sparked anti-racism protests across the world.
During largely peaceful demonstrations in the UK, the controversial Colston statue was dumped into Bristol Harbour and a memorial to Sir Winston Churchill was vandalised with the words “was a racist”.
Speaking in June, Boris Johnson said: “The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country – and the whole of Europe – from a fascist and racist tyranny.
“It is absurd and shameful that this national monument should … be at risk of attack by violent protesters.
“Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial.”
Colston made his fortune in the slave trade and bequeathed his money to charities in Bristol, which led to many venues, streets and landmarks bearing his name.
Following the toppling of the statue, Colston’s Girls School changed its name to Montpelier High School and the city’s Colston Hall music venue is now known as the Bristol Beacon.
A statue of a Black Lives Matter protester was placed on the empty plinth without permission in July and was removed shortly afterwards.
