Mayo town holds the line against election posters
Councillors in Westport have asked election candidates not to hang posters in the town. Picture: Michael Mc Laughlin
Election candidates in the upcoming local and European elections are being asked not to hang election posters or placards in the urban vicinity of Westport. The move is in line with a promise made by members of the former Westport Town Council to keep the town free from visual clutter and in solidarity with the proactive Westport Tidy Towns organisation.
At the May meeting of Westport-Belmullet MD, Cllr Brendan Mulroy, said: “I wish all candidates would adhere to this agreement and that some posters would not be appearing left right and centre.”
Cllr Christy Hyland said that in February 2024 he made a proposal of "no postering in our electoral area" but it did not pass.
“I do wonder did we lose an opportunity here because the former Westport Town Council brought in that rule and we have won so many awards in the town since then, including the best town to live in, in Ireland. We were the first town council and local authority in the country to adopt such a motion. Good luck to people in the election, but in terms of a missed opportunity, I think the national media would have picked up on us again for having no posters and could have shown us in a very positive light to the whole country.”
