Council aims to end excessive use of election posters

ELECTION candidates may soon be confined to putting up election posters in designated areas of Co Cork.

A special purposes committee (SPC) of the county council has been tasked with drawing up plans to limit the number of election posters erected in the county and to identify suitable locations.

The decision was made after Cllr Paula Desmond (Lab) received cross-party approval for her proposal.

“It’s reached a stage where posters have gone totally out of control,” she said.

“We should regulate the numbers and we should get communities involved in designating places where the posters can be put up.

“There should be one area designated (for election posters) in each town and village and each candidate should put up just one poster in that area. That would mean the general countryside wouldn’t be defaced.”

Cllr Desmond said as the next local elections are in 2013, the SPC would have plenty of time to come up with a workable template.

Cllr Derry Canty (FG) said tie-wraps left behind after posters were taken down caused serious annoyance to tidy towns groups.

Party colleague Cllr Gerard Murphy said he had no doubt the public would be in favour of calling a halt to excessive postering.

Cllr John Mulvihill (Lab) said: “Posters cost up to €6 a time and they’re a terrible waste of money.”

Cllr Seamus McGrath said: “There’s a health and safety issue with these posters as well. It’s only a matter of time before one of them gets blown away and injures somebody, or causes a traffic accident. We should ask the Minister for Environment to come up with national regulations.”

Labour Cllr Noel Costello said election posters would soon become a thing of the past as politician move toward getting their message out through social media.

County mayor Cllr Tim Lombard said he would refer the matter to the council’s environment SPC.