Glanworth group call for voluntary ban on election posters
Glanworth Tidy Towns are requesting that candidates for the upcoming local elections refrain from erecting election posters in the village.
A notice which issued last week to candidates from the local group asked that those running for election in the Fermoy Municipal District voluntarily refrain from erecting posters within the 50km/h zone of Glanworth village.
This comes as the group recently polled members on the matter and it was agreed, as a group, that the request be submitted to candidates.
Several candidates for the upcoming election in the Fermoy Local Electoral Area have responded in agreement with the request.
Similar to many Tidy Towns groups nationally who have highlighted their aim to discourage the display of election posters within towns and villages during the elections, the local group are now making strides to see their village included in the move away from such practice.
WELCOME ON THE DOORSTEPS
In a statement issued to candidates, the group noted that other Tidy Towns groups have highlighted that ‘ these posters are visually intrusive, environmentally detrimental and incur substantial costs for individuals and political parties’.
The group also noted that plastic-based corriboard posters can pose long-term hazards, taking up to 400 years to degrade.
“The disposal of such materials in landfills further exacerbates environmental concerns, with associated costs burdening taxpayers. Additionally, there is a concern regarding the residual cable ties left on poles once the posters are removed. As a group we would like to write and seek a voluntary ban by all upcoming local and European election candidates to refrain from using election posters within the 50km/hr zone of Glanworth,” the letter read.
Acknowledging that such measures had been in place in Fermoy town previously, the group requested that the same be applied to Glanworth for the 30-day pre-election timeline for poster display.
Glanworth Tidy Towns welcomed all candidates to canvas in person in the area, stating that they would welcome those running for election to outline what they include in their plan for Glanworth for the next five years, if elected.