COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, April 08, 2024

QUESTION NO.26

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

To ask the Chief Executive would he explain the bye laws for poster raising in regard to candidates running for local election, that includes what's allowed and not allowed?

REPLY:

Election / Referendum / Public Meeting posters are governed by a suite of relevant legislation including:

  1. Litter Pollution Act 1997, amended by the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2009
  2. Protection of the Environment Act 2003
  3. Planning and Development Regulations 2001-2023
  4. European Parliament Elections Act 1997
  5. Local Elections Regulations 1995
  6. Referendum Act 1994
  7. Electoral Reform Act 2022
  8. Road Traffic Act 1961

Posters for elections can be displayed either

  1. A) 30 days before the poll day or
  2. B) From the date the Minister makes the polling order appointing the polling, which ever provides the shorter period of time.

In tandem with the requirements under the Litter Pollution Act 2007, as amended, candidates and their teams should be cognisant of safety issues associated with election posters:

· Posters obscuring visibility of traffic - pedestrian signals and traffic signs.

· Posters below head height or resting on the ground which can cause obstructions on footpaths are particularly hazardous to wheelchair users, blind people and those who are visually impaired.

· Protruding cable ties that are at a level that could cause injury to pedestrians including wheelchair users and children.

The following guidelines may be helpful in ensuring that posters are not a hazard to the public:

· Posters should be erected at a minimum height of 2.3 metres above footpaths, cycle tracks or any area to which pedestrians have access (Remember a guide dog or a long cane will not alert a blind person to the danger of an eye-level poster corner!);

· Posters should not be erected on lamp standards with overhead line electricity feed, traffic signal poles, bridge parapets, overpasses, pedestrian bridges, or roadside traffic barriers;

· Posters should not obscure statutory road signs or traffic / pedestrian signals in any way;

· Posters should be securely fixed to poles with cable ties or similar material to facilitate removal without damage to the poles.

Where South Dublin County Council staff become aware of posters that are considered to be causing a hazard, they will be removed and disposed.

Where advertisements/posters remain visible from a public place after 7 days of the polling date, fixed penalty notices may be issued to the persons/organisation/political party responsible for erecting the advertisements/posters.

In order to avoid this situation, please ensure that all advertisements/posters erected on your or your parties behalf are removed by the deadline. It would be good practice for election candidates to take note of where advertisements have been erected to ensure all are subsequently removed.

The above advise would also apply to erection of advertisements for public meetings with similar timelines associated, i.e. they should not be in place after 7 days following the date of the meeting.