Importance of the TfL Advertising Estate

Emma Best AM moved, and Caroline Russell AM seconded the following motion:

“This Assembly wishes to recognise the importance of the TfL advertising estate, both in terms of providing a valuable revenue stream for London's transport system, and as a platform for delivering important public messaging.

Adverts across the TfL estate fall into two categories: commercial and non-commercial space. Non-commercial space is currently used for a mix of TfL operational messaging, and a quarterly allocation provided to City Hall. This quarterly allocation is currently used by the Mayor and the Greater London Authority (GLA) for a series of advertising campaigns around the Mayor's priorities, and to promote the Mayor's policies.

Given the Mayor’s statutory duty to address health inequalities, this Assembly believes the non-commercial allocation on the TfL network could be used far more effectively for the benefit of Londoners, without any loss of revenue to TfL. With a substantial reach to millions of Londoners across all forms of the capital's transport network, this space could provide essential public health messaging on important subjects like HIV awareness and mental health support, helping to make a tangible and practical difference to the lives of Londoners.

This Assembly wishes to note the outcome of the Health Committee's meeting of 
22 January, during which representatives from the GLA and TfL confirmed that City Hall's allocation could be used to promote public health messaging.
The Assembly, therefore, calls on the Mayor to:

•    Work with the Assembly on a cross-party basis to utilise non-commercial space on the TfL network for public health messaging, with no loss of revenue to TfL. 

•    Work with the Assembly, informed by experts and the third sector to identify a series of public health campaigns which can be rolled out across the non-commercial allocation of the TfL advertising network. 

•    Support the rollout of a public health campaign through the non-commercial allocation of the TfL network if recommended by the London Assembly's Health Committee. 

•    Review TfL's current non-commercial operational messaging campaigns as the organisation's Chair, and identify opportunities that could be used more effectively to deliver public health messages on the network.”