Corporate Advertising Guidelines

Cheshire West and Chester Council has introduced advertising space on its website as part of the Revenue Income Optimisation initiative. A set of guidelines and safeguards has been established.

The Cheshire West and Chester Council website is not the only way for businesses and organisations to reach customers. The launch of Cheshire West TV, the community online TV channel, offers the opportunity to sponsor a channel or even include your own adverts.

If you wish to take advantage of these opportunities on the Cheshire West and Chester Council website, Talking West Cheshire or Cheshire West TV, or require further information, please contact the Marketing and Communications team by:
Tel: 01244 973635 or email: ecommunications@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk.

Introduction

To protect the reputation of the Council, its members, partners and officers, and to protect service users, a set of guidelines is required for the carrying of advertisements.

Scope

These guidelines apply to the carrying of advertisements on websites, buildings and vehicles managed and operated by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

General Principles

Advertisers must ensure that each advert complies with all relevant rules of law, regulations or codes of practice. In particular the adverts must adhere to the codes of conduct laid down by the Advertising Standards Authority - in both letter and spirit.

The adverts must contain nothing which is in any way defamatory, obscene or illegal or which infringes copyright or any other intellectual property rights or other rights belonging to a third party or which if published or displayed would constitute a breach of contract or confidence or the publication or display of which is for any reason unlawful.

All adverts must be accurate, decent, honest and truthful and created with a sense of social responsibility.

The Council will not carry any advert that may detract from its brand or identity. Adverts may only use the Council’s name or brand with the written permission of the Council’s corporate brand manager:
Tel: 01606 867509 or email: graphicdesign@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

The Council has the right at its discretion to decline to publish, or omit, change the position of, any advertisement otherwise accepted for insertion or placement on the websites, buildings or vehicles it operates or manages. The Council will use its reasonable efforts to comply with advertisers wishes although the Council will give no representation, warranty or undertaking as to the date of insertion or placement, the wording or the quality of the colour or mono reproduction of an advertisement.

General Blocks

The Council will not carry advertisements:

• For gambling services (excluding lotteries carried out for charitable purposes where the lottery has been registered with Cheshire West and Chester Council and written permission has been obtained from the eCommunications Manager)
• Adult sexual or pornographic services (excluding counselling or health related services where written permission has been obtained from the e-communications manager)
• For ‘get rich quick’ schemes
• For tobacco
• For alcohol - where it encourages excessive or underage use
• That discriminates on the grounds of race, religion, sex, disability or age.
• That are of a political nature.
• Where the advertiser is undergoing a procurement process with the Council

Approval of Advertisements

Prior to approval, an advertisement will be need to be submitted to the e-Communications Manager for approval either by email or by entry into the web booking system (for online advertisements).

Once approved, the advertisement will be processed. If not approved, the e-Communications Manager will provide written reasons for refusal.  Any advertiser may ask for the decision to be reviewed by the Marketing and Communications Team; however following any review the council’s decision will be final. 

In addition to any rights the Council may have, the Council shall be entitled, not to carry or continue to carry and where necessary remove the whole or any part or parts of an advert, in the following circumstances and without liability or having to tell the advertiser. These are if: -

In the Council's sole discretion it considers: -

• The advertisement is unlawful, misleading, offensive, inflammatory, fails to meet the requirement of paragraph 4 of this guideline or otherwise does not comply with the general principles set out in paragraph 3 of this guideline.
• The advertisement conflicts with the contracts of the Council or its partners
• The advertisements conflicts with the aims or policies of the Council or its partners
• The advertisement is situation inappropriate (for example: adverts for fast food or alcohol in leisure centres etc).
• The advertisement is prejudicial or discriminatory against any group or individual - including, but not limited to; age, race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation or nationality
• The advertisement interferes with a users experience online or puts a user at risk
• The advertiser has contravened any of the regulatory requirements of the Council
• The advertisement is likely to expose the Council to claims, prosecution, criticism or disrepute or cause the Council embarrassment
• The advertisement infringes the legal rights of others, and or infringes the intellectual property of others.

Availability of Websites

The Council will arrange for the Websites operated and managed by Cheshire West and Chester Council to be made available, however computers and telecommunications systems are not fault free and may occasionally require periods of downtime (during which the Websites shall not be available) for repair, maintenance, and upgrading and the Council cannot guarantee uninterrupted availability. The Council will however endeavour to minimise any such periods of non-availability. All advertisers must understand and accept that they will have no claim for breach of contract or otherwise in respect of any such period of unavailability.

Localised Support - Bouncing Back

The Council will, where possible, seek to give local businesses (those whose headquarters or base of operation is in the borough of Cheshire West and Chester) preference in positioning or a discount for online adverts.

What’s On

Listings in the council leaflet “What’s On” for events in and out of the borough of Cheshire West and Chester must adhere to these guidelines. Any advertisements placed for events outside of the borough may be charged for their listings.

Contact Details

For further information please contact:
Head of Marketing and Communications
Tel: 01244 976996
Email: communications@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

or

Damian Beaumont, E-Communications Manager
Tel: 01244 973635
Email: ecommunications@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

All written correspondence to:

Marketing and Communications
Cheshire West and Chester Council
1st Floor
HQ
Nicholas Street
Chester
CH1 2NP

Monitoring And Review

The Marketing and Communications Team will review these guidelines annually.