Two small and apparently innocuous notices in local newspapers this week could signal the resumption of an increasingly bitter battle between Glasgow City Council and pub and restaurant owners in Glasgow. The notices, in Tuesday's Evening Times and Herald, give warning to owners of establishments that they are not allowed to display advertising boards on the pavements of Glasgow without the permission of the council.

Failure to comply with the notice within a 7 day period could see already-struggling businesses have to pay a maximum fine of £2,500.

The notices are the latest phase in an acrimonious stand-off between business owners who say they rely on the advertising boards to generate interest from the passing public, and the council who consider the unlicensed notices to be an obstruction to the public's right of way.

The notice reads:

A walk by GG through the Merchant City today revealed a large number of advertising boards, or A-boards, advertising special (usually time-sensitive) offers to passing customers. It is impossible to tell which of the boards are located with permission of the council, but in most cases the boards were discreetly positioned in order to present minimum obstacle.


In the last couple of years proprietors have continued to resist council demands to remove the boards, with some owners becoming involved in physical struggles with council workers sent to retrieve the boards from the pavement.

The situation is now confused by the fact that Glasgow City Council has this year erected hundreds of its own huge fixed advertising boards, often right outside pubs or restaurants that they demand remove the small sandwich boards.

GG.

it seems to me,just another tax grab by the glasgow city council.

I totally agree Angel.
The Proprieters of Restaraunt Billboards give out a certain ambience from their Premises...todays menus etc
The Glasgow City Council Billboards however seem to be right in the way of Pedestrians, advertising for Mainstream Clientelle.

Doesn't seem fair at all does it.

Having once worked in a material warehouse up a close in Jamaica street as a young girl I regularly was asked to erect the sandwich board for the company in order to alert potential customers of any specials as well as the shops whereabouts within the close,I saw this as an essential part of the daily routine for the business as well as for the purpose of the clientelle,it was not surprising at all to be told several times a day by customers that they wouldn't have known where we were had that little sandwich board not been on the street.

I see it as a necessity for business today to present their special deals & alert potential customers to their price ranges etc etc so I believe this is just another dig at the little guys in business & a greedy bid for more revinues for the tax man to slap onto the little guys & not forgetting the fines that will be incurred should small business not comply to the new rip off rules ,will it ever end this endless need to destroy the little guys business & make more way for the Giants to overshadow them.

Iam disgusted by the fact that the Macdonalds billboard is so obtrusive & an eye sore to say the least ,this could be what blocks the paths of the future & I don't like it! where will it all end up ? who knows but I know that the tax man & the courts shall be kept busy as the little business guys go under,thats very sad when one considers the little businesses were once the glory of every street corner.It is a ridiculous request of governing bodies from council upon the small business people ,an all out attack & war against them ,what for? all to gain more street space & supremacy spaces for the Giants! Iam angry about this!

Pardon my cynicism but ...

Is it not just possible that Mr MacDonald and his multi-national conglomerate friends have decided to; since they spend loads of money producing what they consider to be stylish advertising boards for the perusal and pleasure of the ignorant masses; put pressure on the Glasgow City Council to eradicate any hope the 'little people' have of generating a profit ?

Just a thought ...

Tombro

As someone who has just spent much of the last year pushing a pram around the city centre I have to say that the sandwich boards are the very least of my worries. What ABSOLUTELY infuriates me are the new bus shelters that have been designed to push ads at passing motorists at the expense of passing pedestrians.

There's probably about a meter of space between the bus advertising 'shelter' and the road. Every time you pass one you have to double-check if anyone is coming from the other side and then rush through. If there is a bus coming and people are about to get on or off then forget about it. Added to all that is that you are forced to push the pram perilously close to the edge of the pavement and next to the road.

If the council doesn't want people to walk the streets of the city centre then it should just come out and say it and we'll all just go to Braehead and be done with it.

Rant over!

Claire.

Oh Claire I remember those days so well, never failed to astound me how some folk would just stand and watch whilst you'd be doing the 'manouvre of the pram' routine, had to be thought out in order no to get in anyones way, usually with twelve shopping bags on each of the handles annaw.
I guess it's the same problem the World over

Welcome to the Board......ah love a good rant masel

......ah love a good rant masel

No you Catherine...... .....andy

Here in North London, we are furious that the local Haringey Council have got into bed with the commercial interests and sell advertising space on their lamposts and bridges.



I'm not even sure they have the right to sell space on the bridge - it surely belongs to Railtrack ?

Anyway they are polluting the environment by taking MacDonald's shilling

I would most definitely agree with you about polluting the environment Macbeast. It's also funny that you mention Haringey Council recently sold the right to advertising on lamp-posts, as Glasgow City Council recently withdrew the right of political parties to use lamp-posts for adverts during elections. Could this be the council's prelude to selling Glasgow's lamp-posts to the highest bidder? One wonders...?

GG.

... One thing that I meant to add is that if you look at the pavements in the photographs above you will see that they are completely free of litter. It seems that the 'Clean Glasgow' campaign is starting to pay off in terms of keeping the streets clean.

GG.

Let me get this straight...Glasgow City Council, being the Roads Authority for Glasgow, applies to itself for permission to erect it's fixed advertising boards? Wonder how many got turned down

As far as the Council is concerned, this is quite clearly a case of:
Don't do as I do, do as I say.

more money grabing by the council i think they add a wee bit of flair the streets instead of poking your nose through shop windows and doors to see what they have got

This is yet another example of New Labour's love in with big business at the expense of everybody else. I don't remember council tax payers getting a refund when Macdonalds ads etc started to take over the pedestrianisation of the city centre and now small business will start to feel the effect? This is in no way going to help the economy, quite the reverse.
Haven't those cloistered councillors even seen the effect that closures have had on the golden Z of Argyle Street, Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street? It seems that if they have, they have chosen to ignore the plight of the small businessperson and try to assimilate everyone into the shopping malls. It's crazy beyond belief as well as being economically illiterate.
GCC has often had the nickname of the Glagow Mafia and it now seems that the cap fits.
As long as you sell Big Macs to your citizens then everything's hunky dory it seems. This stinks, and stinks of corruption just as the closure of Paddy's Market did.