There are times when you have to wonder whether Conservative Wiltshires councillors are actually focusing on the issues that matter most to residents. With the state of our pavements, roads and Wiltshire Council owned play areas, not to mention a multimillion-pound giveaway of a carpark in Trowbridge, you have to wonder why Conservative councillors are now arguing over posters! This follows the previous argument they wanted to have over screen wash.
It has always been my undestanding that the role of the opposition councillors, is to hold the governing councillors to account, over the issues that matter to the residents of this county. So why, only a year after councillors intervened over a crackdown on billposting and flyposting, the council is once again being urged to rethink its approach to temporary event signs, by conservative councillors, rather than why our roads are still in such a dire state and full of potholes and weeds?
Councillors Allison Bucknell, who represents Lyneham, and Jane Davies, of Marlborough West, have tabled a motion calling for another review when the full council meets on Tuesday, 20 October. This is not a new argument. The advertising of events beside Wiltshire’s roads has been contentious for some time.
Last year, councillors were warned that tougher enforcement could threaten historic funfairs. George Scarrott and Son’s Family Fun Fair — an annual fixture in Royal Wootton Bassett since 1890 — faced legal action and a £250 fine for every poster.
That prompted Cllrs Bucknell and Davies to champion a “Trusted Billposter” scheme intended to protect legitimate operators and community groups from unnecessarily burdensome rules.
By March, council highways officers said they had drawn up new guidance and promised a “lighter touch” approach. Organisers who followed the rules would be able to display posters year after year without repeatedly applying for permission.
Yet in September, Circus Ginnet owner Patrick Austin said about 200 of his A1 and A2 posters had been removed in Chippenham. He estimated that the loss cost hundreds of pounds in materials, quite apart from the damage caused by lost publicity. Wiltshire Council said the posters had been attached to signs, bollards and traffic signals, where they were not permitted. It also said organisers had been reminded of the requirements before Chippenham Town Council removed the posters.
Even so, Cllrs Bucknell and Davies say organisers still struggle to find the relevant guidance, understand the requirements and establish which forms of advertising are allowed.
Their motion goes further, arguing that enforcement of unauthorised advertising has been “inconsistent”. That is an important concern: rules are difficult enough to follow without people also feeling that they are applied unevenly.
The councillors are asking Cabinet Member for Highways Martin Smith to review the system: Is the guidance clear and easy to find? Can the process be simplified? And is enforcement genuinely transparent, consistent and proportionate?
They also want the review to consider posters for Remembrance events and other major community commemorations — occasions that depend heavily on volunteers and local awareness.
Of course, road safety must come first, and nobody is arguing that signs should be placed where they create a hazard. But there should be a sensible balance. Charities, community groups, volunteers and travelling event operators should not have to negotiate a maze of unclear rules simply to promote legitimate local events.
Yes, uncontrolled flyposting can make a town look unloved and untidy, and councils are right to act where advertising is irresponsible or creates a safety risk. But those rules should not be used to punish legitimate businesses, community organisations and event operators that are simply trying to promote lawful activities in a responsible way.
If the motion is agreed, its findings and recommendations will go to the relevant scrutiny committee. I hope councillors support it — and, more importantly, that the review leads to guidance that is easy to find, easy to understand and applied with common sense. Wiltshire has bigger priorities than repeatedly tying community events up in red tape.
Get this one out the way and get back to fixing the roads please!
Based on Original copy by Peter Davison, Local Democracy Reporter