City bans election placards despite voter turnout fears

Published on Thursday 2 June 2011 15:45

ELECTION posters are to be banned in the Capital, sparking fears of low voter turnout in next year's local council elections.

Following a lively and animated debate in the City Chambers, councillors narrowly voted in favour of a motion calling for the posters to be banned from lampposts and other "street furniture".

The decision means Edinburgh will follow in the footsteps of other Scottish cities such as Glasgow and Dundee, which have already outlawed the campaign advertising.

The posters were described by some councillors as an essential part of the democratic process, insisting they are good for "public promotion" of an election.

But Tory councillor Gordon Buchan, who put forward the motion calling for the posters to be banned, said that to suggest they were the only means of informing voters of an upcoming election was a "serious disservice to their intelligence".

He told a meeting of the full council yesterday: "For those to make that suggestion, they clearly aren't making that connection with the electorate.

"Banning posters will ensure that some politicians seeking election actually engage with the public.

"Posters don't win elections. My own campaign back in 2005 proves that."

Serious concerns were raised about the turnout for next year's council elections, which will not be running alongside national elections and will therefore not attract as much publicity.

Lib Dem councillor Louise Lang, who called for tighter regulation on election posters instead of an outright ban, said: "Putting up lamppost posters is not policy. If you don't want to do it, don't do it. They are good for public promotion and help to remind people there is an election.

"Next year will be the first time an election will be on its own since 1995 and none of us know the impact of this.

"We don't want to make it more difficult for ourselves."

Green councillor Alison Johnstone backed Cllr Lang's fears, adding that former council chief executive Tom Aitchison had raised the issue in a meeting several years ago.

Cllr Johnstone said: "A successful democratic process is predicated on turnout. Perhaps it is the case that the Conservatives are simply too posh to poster."

Labour also took the opportunity to disagree with the views of the Tories and called for no action to be taken.

Cllr Eric Milligan said: "If I was Councillor Buchan, I might take a different view. Vote Buchan Conservative is not a winning slogan.

"It's not in the power of this council to stop people putting posters up. If they want to do it, they will do it.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Buchan told the Evening News: "I'm delighted common sense prevailed. The result was the right one and I'm grateful to everyone who backed me on it."