Wokingham borough council’s advertising policy will make Wokingham residents sicker, warns Wokingham Labour.
Allowing the advertising of junk food on bus shelters directly contradicts the values Lib Dems claim to uphold, warns the Wokingham Labour group at Wokingham borough council..
The Lib Dem executive voted on October 17 to allow advertising that includes fried and fast food, sugary cereals and biscuits, gambling, pay day loans and fossil fuel firms.
At a management overview and scrutiny meeting in June this year, the committee proposed a number of recommendations to ban these categories from its advertising policy. Councillors on this committee are not allowed to be politically whipped to vote a particular way – however, at the overview and scrutiny meeting at the end of September, all the Lib Dems on that committee had changed their minds.
Then, just two weeks later, at a meeting of Wokingham borough council’s ruling executive committee on October 17, residents representing the campaign group AdBlock were told that loss of revenue meant the council could no longer reject certain types of advertising on bus shelters
The Lib Dem cxecutive claimed that in revenue terms, banning these categories could cost the council around £19,000 a year, and for this reason decided not to support the ban.
In contrast, the Lib Dem administration aims for Wokingham to be a “Marmot Borough”, adhering to principles such as giving children a healthy start in life, ensuring a healthy standard of living, and strengthening the role and impact of ill-health prevention.
The decision has been condemned by Wokingham Labour councillors.
Shinfield councillor Andrew Gray said: “Across the year, we have heard passionate arguments from residents about why banning junk food, gambling, and fossil fuel advertising was essential for the health of the borough. With their frequent championing of the Marmot principles on public health, I expected the Lib Dems to take the same view, but last week, we learnt they value pennies more than principals, and money over Marmot.
“Their own briefing noted that Transport for London and Bristol county council had banned such ads without seeing any decrease in revenues.
“This decision will cost the borough far more in health problems than the potential gain of £19,000 a year and reduces the Lib Dems’ frequently quoted support for Marmot principles to the status of a well-meaning soundbite.”
