Published: Tuesday, 2nd February, 2010 4:35pm

Royal Borough to cash in on adverts

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PLANS to cash in by selling advertising space in car parks have been given the green light.

The Conservatives submitted a report to Cabinet on Thursday (28/01) last week proposing making the most of the borough's car parks by selling advertising space.

It was recommended that the council proceed with the initiative, which has the potential to raise between £35,000 and £40,000 per year for the council, with the possibility of that figure increasing in future years as the economic conditions improve.

The council will award the contract to install and operate the advertising to a separate company based on the best value for money bid.

Council leader Cllr David Burbage said: "We explained last week how we are saving taxpayers money by making the council more efficient; and delivering more good quality services for less money. However we aim to sustain our financial position by increasing council revenue at the same time so that we can continue to invest in services and improve them."

The borough already generates income of this kind through sponsorship of roundabouts and advertisements in Round the Royal Borough, so is well used to the process of operating such a system.

The places where the adverts might appear are on posters at the car parks, or in lifts. The council already raises approximately £9,000 per year by allowing firms to advertise on the back of the car park tickets.