Mayo councillor says election posters have 'had their day' and should be banned

A CASTLEBAR councillor is calling for a total county-wide ban on election posters erected on poles saying they have had their day and it is time to scrap them.

Fine Gael councillor Ger Deere has placed a motion to be discussed at Monday's February meeting of Mayo County Council where he is calling for a 'ban the erection of pole posters for upcoming referendums and elections throughout the County'.

Cllr Deere said that not only are the posters unsightly but they are also a health and safety hazard and in the age of social media he believes there is no advantage in having them to get elected.

“I think something needs to be done to ban posters altogether. It is not just the environmental reasons but also health and safety particularly during storms when they are blown down on top of cars and on people. They had their day. I know they created an atmosphere around elections but with modern social media you don't need them. You don't need posters to get yourself elected. You need to be on the ground working hard with people and I think it is time we took a stance on it,” he told The Mayo News.

Castlebar councillor Ger Deere is calling for a ban on election posters around Mayo

Erecting posters of election candidates on poles and lampposts has been a mainstay of electioneering in Ireland for decades but in recent years there has been calls for them to be scrapped.

Election posters have not been seen in Westport town for a number of years after local candidates agreed to end the practice. Last month, Westport councillor Christy Hyland said that the local ban on posters should be extended to the rest of the electoral area.

Election posters are considered to be exempted from development and can be erected without permission but they have to be taken down within seven days of the poll.

When he was a member of Castlebar Town Council, Cllr Deere put down a similar motion to ban election posters in the town but he did not receive the support.

He explained he was unsure if he will receive sufficient support at Monday's meeting but feels that time is right to start a conversation on banning them.

“I have a feeling that we will be told [by council management] that because of legislation we cannot do this as a group. If that is the case I think we need to get onto other councils around the country to get the conversation moving. If a lot of councils did it and we get onto our national legislators I think there could be a consensus for it.

“But I have a feeling it will be watered down this time but we need to keep it going and if I am elected the next time I will keep this going until something is done nationally on it,” he explained.