Issue - meetings

Consideration was given to the report relating to Council sponsorship (policy and activities) which had been requested by the Board in order for it to undertake an overview and scrutiny exercise.

With regard to the Sponsorship and Advertising on Roundabouts Policy which had been approved and adopted by the Cabinet in July 2008, questions were raised regarding sponsorship price.  It was noted that within section 9 of the policy, it stated that the sponsorship price was £12,000 per annum.  However, it was clarified that in relation to road traffic islands, sponsorship price was no less than £4,000 per annum for each location and £12,000 referred to three locations.  Officers accepted that the policy was unclear on this point and suggested that this was amended accordingly.

It had been reported to the Cabinet in July 2008 that it was intended that £80,000 in sponsorship would be generated in 2008/09, however, Mr. Street, the Executive Director – Partnerships and Projects, stated that £80,000 had perhaps been over ambitious for the timeframe and in-house resources.  Details of sponsorship activity since July 2008 were referred to as outlined in appendix 2 of the report. 

It was believed that Bromsgrove District Council was amongst the few local authorities to obtain commercial sponsorship funding on recycling vehicles and it had negotiated very competitive packages in the hope it would attract other businesses.  Other sponsorship activities included four road traffic islands, the bandstand programme, Christmas lights switch-on event and donation of Christmas trees. 

Mr. Street explained to Members that previously, a systematic approach had not been taken.  However, it was reported that the Council was in the process of producing a sponsorship prospectus that would detail sponsorship opportunities in the District.  It was anticipated that this would be circulated to a targeted selection of larger local businesses.

The flexibility of sponsorship duration was raised.  It stated within section 6 of the policy that each agreement would be for a minimum of one year with an option to extend.  However, it was questioned whether in some circumstances a period of 6 months could be offered.

Discussions with the West Midlands Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership (WMRIEP) were referred to during the meeting.  It was reported that WMRIEP provided the Council with contact details of a company which dealt with sponsorship for other local authorities.  Officers had investigated this option, however, due to the significant financial implications, it was believed that sponsorship should be dealt with in-house and this would also enable the Council to offer a more competitively priced service to local businesses.

In relation to the road traffic island located near to the Artrix and David Lloyd, Members were informed that it had not yet been adopted due to highways issues and therefore could not be used for sponsorship purposes.  It was confirmed that the District Council had entered into an agreement with the County Council that five road traffic islands could be used for sponsorship purposes with the understanding that the Council would look to expand  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34