Using local elections to get advertising on the political agenda

Local elections are coming up in the UK on 4th May 2023. Such elections can be the perfect opportunity to get advertising and its harms on the political agenda. This toolkit is written with the UK local election context in mind, but can be used more generally as well.

Email local candidates, especially those in your council ward who will want to hear directly from the residents in their area, using this template email with two main policy recommendations:

1. If elected, will you support the introduction of an ‘ethical advertising policy’ on Council-controlled sites (e.g bus stops)? This would restrict advertising that harms public health and increases emissions, such as ads for junk food, gambling, alcohol and environmentally-damaging products. Other local authorities have recently enacted similar policies.

2. Will you support a moratorium on new digital advertising billboards in your town/city? This could be in place until outdated national planning policy is reformed to allow councils to consider the specific impacts of digital billboards on local communities in planning decisions, such as climate, biodiversity and public health.

Are you on social media? Why not also try tweeting candidates to ask what their position is on advertising? This is a great way to show that you care about the negative presence of billboards, bus stop adverts and other outdoor advertising in our communities.

Find the full policy recommendation details here.