Body calls for political ad revamp.(Brief Article)

A plan for COI Communications to supervise the buying of posters by political parties during election campaigns will be published by an influential think tank later this month.

The Institute for Public Policy Research, which has close links with Downing Street, will call for a sharp cut in spending on poster campaigns by the parties when it publishes an inquiry report on the funding of politics.

Research by the IPPR found that spending on billboards represents 50 per cent of election costs. Although some billboard campaigns are good in moderation and create interest in the campaign, the report concludes that they are not effective.

Labour and the Tories buy more billboards than a commercial company would as they see posters as a 'numerical race rather than a rational purchase', the report said.

One option is for COI to oversee the purchasing of posters to prevent the party in power snapping up the best sites when government campaigns stop for the election. COI would also ...