Political parties have been banned from running stalls at markets operated by North Yorkshire Council under new rules which also warn councillors that jokes and banter on social media can cause offence.

The council has approved new protocols setting out what councillors and political groups can and cannot do with publicly funded facilities, including meeting rooms, council equipment and official email accounts.

Under the rules, political parties will no longer be permitted to hire market pitches or operate stalls at council-run markets, such as Ripon's.

The authority says the restriction is necessary because it cannot guarantee equal access to market pitches for all political groups.

However, markets operated by town and parish councils will not automatically be affected, with those authorities free to set their own rules.

The council will encourage them to adopt the same approach.

Banners banned

Political posters, banners, election signs and advertisements will also be prohibited on council-owned land and buildings, including highway verges, lamp posts, railings, fences and trees.

The protocols also prevent political parties from organising public meetings in council administrative buildings.

Political groups represented on the council can still use meeting rooms for discussions relating to council business, while other publicly available council premises can be hired on the same terms as other organisations.

Bookings by political parties during election periods will require written approval from the council’s monitoring officer.

A separate protocol sets out restrictions on councillors’ use of council resources, including computers, staff time, travel expenses and allowances.

It also contains detailed guidance on councillors’ use of social media, warning that seemingly harmless comments can cause offence.

The document states: 

Campaign material

Councillors are also warned against responding to provocation online and are advised to take particular care before posting hurried reactions to statements or news events.

The guidance says such responses could subsequently prove inappropriate or incorrect, while comments may also be selectively quoted or taken out of context.

Elsewhere, councillors are prohibited from using council resources for election canvassing, producing party-political leaflets or promoting private businesses.

Official council email addresses and telephone numbers must not appear on political campaign material, while civic chains of office cannot be worn for political campaigning or personal activities.

The protocols recognise that election candidates retain statutory rights to use certain publicly funded buildings, including schools and community meeting rooms, for election meetings.

The decision was approved by the council’s chief executive on October 22 following consultation with the Standards and Governance Committee in September.

The council says the measures will help ensure public resources are used appropriately and not primarily to advance private or party-political interests.

It warns that councillors who fail to comply with the resources protocol could breach the authority’s code of conduct.