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Edinburgh City Council considering selling ad space on staff uniforms and bridges to drum up extra cash

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By Jennifer Faull, Deputy Editor

November 19, 2012 | 2 min read

Edinburgh Council is reportedly considering a new proposal which could see it selling ad space on everything from staff uniforms to bridges and roundabouts as it tries to raise extra cash for the coming year.

Edinburgh is currently looking at a £10.8 million shortfall in the 2013-14 budget and, due to the Scottish Government council tax freeze, is finding itself limited in ways to make up the deficit.

The proposal has outlined the sale ad space on council workers’ uniforms, vehicles, and buildings which could bring in hundreds of thousands of pounds to the city, with the installation of ad space on bridges, such as those in Gorgie and Roseburn, alone potentially raising an extra £350,000 every year.

It has also suggested the activity could be supported with a commercial version of the “I Love Leith” ads already used on lampposts.

This proposal has already worked on a smaller scale, as earlier this year 180 of Edinburgh’s lollipop men and women were sponsored by Volvo Murray, in a £20,000 three year which saw its brand printed on the high-visibility jackets.

Alasdair Rankin, the city’s finance leader, commented: “We are exploring all avenues available to us to increase income generation to allow the council to continue to provide quality services to people in Edinburgh.”

However heritage groups and brand experts have criticised the proposal and suggested that such advertising could weaken the image of the council as a public service provider.

A final decision will be made when the budget is discussed by councillors on February 7.

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