Newsroom Archive

In September, the Council’s Returning Officer and Managing Director Richard Partington began a consultation over stopping political groups and candidates from using council owned land or equipment to put up posters supporting their candidature in an election.

This followed this summer’s European elections in the borough, when a number of election posters on street furniture were damaged or de-faced, often with offensive symbols or language.

This ban has already been imposed in many other councils, nationally and regionally.

The consultation shows that an overwhelming majority of the people or organisations who responded support the idea of a ban.

Those who supported a ban, commented that the existence of the posters was very disruptive to local communities, the graffiti was “shameful” and, in a world of 24 hours news and social media, was an outdated practice.

Those respondents who were against a ban, objected on the grounds that these posters help to publicise elections and increase turnout, and that those advantages outweighed the disruption to the local authority.

Mr Partington, Telford & Wrekin’s Returning Officer and Managing Director, said: “It is more about the impact on the local community than the impact on the authority. I believe that if the Council was to continue to allow the display of these posters the chances of some posters being covered in graffiti are high and this would be a blight in the community.

“I would add that there are many other ways for both political groups and independent candidates to engage with the public during the pre-election period that do not have the same impact, in particularly social media.

“The cost to the to the Council of removing de-faced posters is an important, but secondary, consideration.”

Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet will consider the recommendation to ban the display of election posters on Council property at its meeting on Thursday 11 December.