Council launches tirade against advertising regulator over city logo ruling

Medway Council has reacted angrily to an Advertising Standards Authority ruling that the local authority could not use the word ‘city’ on a tourist leaflet as it was misleading.

The ASA launched an investigation after receiving a complaint that the leaflet – labelled City of Medway – Rich Heritage, Great Future – was misleading because Medway was not yet a city and only bidding to become one.

The council hopes to be granted city status as part of a competition to make a town a city during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee next year, and was using the logo to promote its bid. It believes that city status could bring jobs and investment.

Medway suggested that the ASA ruling was “bizarre”, “a waste of time” and “lacks any degree of common sense”.

It called on the ASA to investigate Welwyn Garden City (a town), Nottingham Rock City (a music venue), London City Airport (which is based in Newham) and even its own headquarters (called Mid City Place, but which is based in the London Borough of Camden).

Medway listed a range of other places and businesses that it thought might be affected such as Cathedral City cheese “as this is made in Davidstow, Cornwall, which is neither a city nor has a cathedral” and the Ocean City Chinese takeaway in Devizes “as this is not in a city, but a small market town in Wiltshire, and it certainly is not near an ocean”.

The local authority also claimed that the ASA’s council had rejected its own advisers’ recommendations, which suggested that no further action was necessary after Medway put wording next to the logo saying it was part of the bid. The ASA has no legal power to enforce its demand.

Cllr Alan Jarrett, Deputy Leader of Medway Council, said: “This ruling is a waste of everyone’s time. Surely the ASA has bigger fish to fry.

“If they are going to do [make a fuss], though, they need to look at other places across the country that use the name city in their title…..After all, if they are going to waste our time then they should at least play fair and waste everyone else’s as well.

“I must admit I find it staggering. After all, our officers’ time is much better used ensuring our residents get the council services they need and want rather than dealing with bizarre rulings from wannabe quangos in London.”

The ASA will publish its ruling tomorrow (16 March).