How can it be so hard to put right such an obvious wrong?

Published: 9 September, 2010

• PARENTS and others are right to be concerned about inappropriate advertising on a hoarding near a school (Parents’ fury at lap-dance hoarding on school route, September 2).

It was pleasing, nevertheless, than the owner of the company advertising a table dancing club said he would take would take more care in future.

It’s a pity that the advertising hoarding company was so stupid in the first place.

Indeed, it doesn’t seem that this hoarding company is giving much value to its client with this ad placed outside a school.

Camden Council’s spokeswoman suggests that people with have to take up the matter with the Advertising Standards Agency.

That’s all very well but that involves time-wasting by private individuals – by busy parents who have better things to do.

The Big Society is not just about residents playing their part but about organisations too. 

I’d like to have read that the council was taking the matter up with the ASA itself, in the light of complaints and of your reporting of them.

I’d like the council to have said that, if the law did not allow so at the moment, then it would propose a change in the law regarding planning consent for advertising hoardings, such that inappropriate advertisements near schools were not allowed, as a condition of the planning permission being granted, in the first place.

Camden Council surely has a duty to propose changes to national law where the law needs improvement.

In this particular case, either the hoarding company or the client should do the decent thing and remove the advertisement.

LESTER MAY
Reachview Close, NW1