UK Councils Restricting Harmful Advertising Maintain Revenue in 2026

Key Points

• According to a recent report compiled by the advocacy group Sustain and the research conducted by the University of Portsmouth, local councils with unhealthy advertising bans suffer no drop in advertising revenue as opposed to councils with no such bans.
• FOI requests were made to all councils in the United Kingdom, resulting in a total of 360 responses out of which 38 had enough data for annual percentage revenue changes from 2019 through 2023 to make a comparison.
• The statistical model comparison showed that the revenue of the councils was not lower than it should be after implementing healthy food advertising policies.
• Over a dozen of UK councils such as Sheffield and Edinburgh have already introduced bans on high carbon advertising, including fossil fuels, planes, and non-electric vehicles.
• Bristol City Council became the first UK local council to ban ultra fast fashion advertisements along with bans on fossil fuels, sports utility vehicles, airlines, and cruise ships.
• Portsmouth City Council became the first UK council to ban advertising of single-use plastics.

Portsmouth (Bristol Express News) October 28, 2026 — Local authorities across the United Kingdom considering restrictions on harmful advertising face no financial penalty or loss of income, according to groundbreaking new research that undermines long-held economic arguments against municipal marketing curbs.

Will Local Authorities Lose Revenue By Restricting Harmful Advertising?

As reported by Kate Whitman, Alan Leonard, and Helen Thompson-Whiteside of the University of Portsmouth in an analysis published by BusinessGreen and originally featured in The Conversation, cash-strapped councils turning away income from junk food, fossil fuels, or other harmful products have historically worried about affordability. However, the report commissioned by the advocacy alliance Sustain found zero evidence that councils implementing healthier food advertising policies suffered any decline in revenue relative to areas without such policies.

The researchers stated,

“Our report found no evidence that councils introducing healthier food advertising policies lost advertising revenue when compared to places without such a policy. The finding held for councils across the UK with different advertising sites (from bus shelters to benches), locations and contract arrangements.”

How Was The University of Portsmouth Research Conducted?

Detailing the methodology behind the findings, the research team noted that freedom of information requests were dispatched to every local council across the UK. Out of 360 responses received, 38 local authorities supplied adequate data detailing annual percentage changes in revenue between 2019 and 2023 to enable a robust statistical comparison. Among those 38 councils, three had adopted healthier food advertising policies during the five-year timeframe, while the remaining 35 maintained no such restrictions.

Evaluating the datasets, the authors explained,

“By comparing the revenue of local governments that implemented a healthier food advertising policy to those without, a statistical model assessed whether council revenues were now below what would have been expected had they not implemented a healthier foods advertising policy. The findings show that councils did not lose potential revenue from implementing this policy.”

Why Do Advertising Restrictions Not Empty Billboards and Bus Shelters?

Addressing the practical pushback against stronger municipal advertising guidelines, the report highlights that restricting harmful goods does not leave outdoor media assets vacant. Instead, inventory is readily absorbed by socially beneficial campaigns or alternative commercial products that comply with local authority standards.

As emphasized in the analysis,

“Concern about lost income has been one of the practical arguments made against stronger advertising policies. Yet restricting harmful products does not mean leaving billboards and bus shelters empty. Advertising space can instead be filled by more socially beneficial campaigns, such as healthy products, while companies affected by the rules can switch to promoting products that comply with them.”

Furthermore, successful restrictions yield wider societal savings. Transport for London’s curbs on advertising foods high in fat, salt, and sugar have been linked to households purchasing approximately 1,000 fewer calories from unhealthy foods weekly, with modeling estimating lifetime savings of £218m for the NHS and social care system.

How Are UK Councils Expanding Advertising Bans Beyond Junk Food?

Local authorities are increasingly applying public health principles to high-carbon products and environmental sustainability. Over a dozen UK councils, including Sheffield and Edinburgh, have adopted restrictions on high-carbon advertising targeting fossil fuels, flights, and non-electric vehicles.

Highlighting pioneering municipal actions, the report noted that Bristol City Council became the first in the UK to restrict advertising for ultra-fast fashion on council-owned sites. Alongside this, Bristol instituted curbs on fossil fuels, SUVs, airlines, and cruises. Additionally, Portsmouth City Council achieved a national first by incorporating single-use plastics into its restricted product categories, signaling recognition that packaging waste directly correlates with advertised consumer goods.

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What International Precedents Exist For Advertising Curbs?

Global developments indicate that public sector restrictions on advertising are scaling up internationally. In May, Amsterdam became the first capital city globally to introduce legally binding restrictions on public advertising for fossil-fuel products and services, encompassing flights, cruises, petrol and diesel vehicles, and meat.

Summarizing the global trajectory, the researchers stated,

“The question for UK councils, then, is not simply whether these policies work, but how much further they are prepared to go. Until now, the prospect of losing advertising income has provided an economic argument for caution. Our new research weakens that argument.”

Background of the Particular Development

The expansion of municipal advertising restrictions across the United Kingdom stems from an escalating clash between local government climate and public health commitments and the widespread promotion of high-carbon, environmentally damaging, and unhealthy goods in public spaces. For years, local authorities relied heavily on advertising contracts across bus shelters, billboards, and municipal properties to generate vital revenue amidst severe central government funding cuts. Consequently, proposals to restrict advertising categories—such as junk food, fossil fuels, and aviation—were consistently resisted by arguments regarding potential financial deficits. The new research by Sustain and the University of Portsmouth addresses this core economic barrier by empirically testing revenue impacts across local authorities, providing the quantitative backing necessary for councils to align their commercial estates with net-zero and public health mandates.

This development is projected to empower dozens of additional local authorities across the United Kingdom to enact stringent advertising bans without fearing budgetary shortfalls. For local government leaders, public health advocates, and environmental groups, the removal of the revenue-loss argument provides legal and financial confidence to replicate the pioneering policies established in Bristol and Portsmouth. Consequently, advertisers and brands operating in sectors such as fast fashion, high-carbon automotive, aviation, fossil fuels, and single-use plastics face a shrinking footprint in public municipal spaces, forcing a strategic pivot toward compliant product lines and sustainable corporate messaging across British urban centers.