Advertising policy - Adur & Worthing Councils

Advertising on council-owned land and vehicles

Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council (the councils) work with carefully selected advertising agencies and partners. These agencies and partners provide commercial and non-commercial advertising services to third parties, by using advertisement equipment installed on council-owned land, or moving vehicles. The councils do not provide advertising services.

The councils wish to provide the best experience for their residents and visitors and understand that they have an obligation to ensure that legal standards are maintained and high standards are kept. The council wants to generate appropriate commercial income from our assets, but not at the expense of public health, community wellbeing, equality, environmental objectives or public trust.

Working with the councils

The messages contained in any advertisement must not directly conflict with the vision and values of Adur District Council or Worthing Borough Council, and acceptance of any advertisement does not imply endorsement by either or both councils.

Advertising or sponsorship which is critical of either or both councils, its services or policies, its members, officers or its partners, will not be permitted.

The councils' logos shall not be incorporated into any advertisement without consent in writing from the councils.

Acceptance of any advertisement does not imply endorsement of any particular products or offers or that the councils are responsible for their quality and reliability. The councils accept no liability for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection to any advertisement appearing on its land or vehicles.

The council's communications team and/or commercial team reserve the right to refuse any advertisements or sponsorship deemed inappropriate. Nominated council officers will monitor any commercial relationship with advertising agencies and regularly discuss matters arising with the relevant director and cabinet member. Should a contentious matter come to light, council officers reserve the right to instruct advertising agencies to withdraw an advertisement, with fair warning.

The councils may not accept advertising or sponsorship that could be considered socially or politically contentious or which conflicts with the policies, values or statutory obligations of the councils. The councils must also be impartial at all times and not facilitate an unfair advantage. Therefore, advertisements must not promote:

any product or service that may inhibit Adur District Council and/or Worthing Borough Council's ability to achieve their policy objectives
any material which may, in whole or in part, appear to be designed to affect public support for a political party

Planning

The councils must abide by:

The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) - on the Legislation.GOV.UK website
The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007 - on the Legislation.GOV.UK website - this provides the rules on displaying advertising or sponsorship
The councils and advertising agencies must adhere to the:
Recommended code of practice for local authority publicity - on the GOV.UK website

Advertising standards

Advertising agencies and partners wishing to advertise with the councils must comply with the Advertising Standards Authority:

UK Advertising Codes - on the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) website

Communications must:

be legal, decent, honest and truthful
not bring the councils into disrepute
respect the principles of fair competition

The councils have the duty to ensure all advertising or sponsorship on council-owned assets falls within this legislation and will liaise with the councils' planning service to ensure planning law relating to the display of advertisements is complied with.

In addition, the councils will not produce, endorse, or knowingly be associated with any form of communication that positively promotes:

alcohol, vaping, tobacco, rolling papers and filters
food and drink products high in fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS)
the sex industry
gambling or betting
illegal behaviour
material which may have a negative impact on groups in the community based on any protected characteristic (as defined in the Equality Act 2010)
material deemed inappropriate for children, for example, violent films

A note on advertisements offering credit

Credit advertisements must comply with all legal and regulatory requirements in force at the time of publication. The councils reserve the right to refuse advertisements from organisations that offer credit, including loan, payday loan, crypto, credit card organisations or consumer hire.

A note on competitions

Organisations offering entry into a competition following completion of a form containing any personal information will not be allowed to advertise.

A note to members of the public

If you feel that the councils are not meeting their obligations with regard to the matters set out in this document, please get in touch with us through our complaints system: