Is It Time Councils Sold Street-Name Sponsorship?

Could your local High Street become “High Street: Sponsored by Smith & Co”? 

It might sound strange, but perhaps councils are overlooking a potentially valuable source of income.

Local authorities are constantly looking for ways to raise additional revenue without simply increasing charges or putting further pressure on council taxpayers.

So here's an idea: why not sell sponsorship of street names?

We already accept sponsored football grounds, sporting competitions, festivals, theatres and countless other public events and spaces snd roundabouts. Businesses spend substantial sums putting their names in places where people will see them.

Street signs are certainly visible.

Importantly, we're not suggesting that historic street names should disappear or that residents should suddenly find themselves living at a completely different address.

Instead, the existing street name would remain, with a smaller sponsorship panel underneath:

CHURCH STREET

Sponsored by Bloggs & Co

That distinction is important. Actually renaming streets could cause problems for residents, businesses, postal services, emergency services, mapping companies and numerous databases.

Adding sponsorship should be considerably simpler.

It doesn't have to be big business

This could also be about much more than multinational companies buying prominent locations.

Local businesses could sponsor streets near their premises. Football, cricket and rugby clubs might sponsor nearby roads. Rotary and Lions clubs, chambers of commerce, historical societies and other community organisations could participate.

Imagine a local history society sponsoring an historic street and using a small QR code on the sign to direct visitors towards information about its past.

Suddenly street sponsorship becomes more than advertising, it becomes part of promoting the town.

Let the market decide the price

Not every street would have the same value.

A busy town-centre shopping street would clearly be worth considerably more than a residential cul-de-sac. Councils could create sponsorship bands, perhaps ranging from relatively modest sums for less prominent locations to substantial annual agreements for major streets, squares and pedestrian areas.

Contracts might run for one, three or five years.

Councils could also ring-fence some of the income. Imagine signs stating that sponsorship revenue helps pay for flower displays, street cleaning, public toilets, Christmas lights or maintenance of parks.

Residents could actually see where some of the money was going.

There would need to be rules

Clearly, councils couldn't simply accept money from anyone.

There would need to be restrictions on inappropriate or controversial advertising, protection for historically important signs and sensible limits on the size and appearance of sponsorship panels.

Residents and traders should also have a voice, particularly where prominent or historic locations are involved.

But these are practical issues rather than reasons to dismiss the entire idea.

Local government needs imaginative new revenue streams.

Selling the legal names of our streets might be a step too far.

Selling discreet sponsorship underneath those names, however, could be an idea whose time has come.

Would you be happy to see your street sponsored if the money helped pay for local services – or would you regard it as commercialisation gone too far?

Tell That's Business what you think.

To Start Up or Not Start Up? Asking the Right Questions Before Taking the Leap

“I can do that.” It is a thought that has launched countless business ideas. 

But being able to provide a product or service and building a sustainable company are different challenges.

For anyone contemplating the leap into self-employment, a book by entrepreneur and executive Pantelis Velentzas encourages a pause before committing money, time and energy.

To Start Up or Not Start Up?, published by LID Publishing, explores the questions aspiring founders should ask before turning ambition into action. Its central message is straightforward: enthusiasm matters, but it needs to be matched by preparation, clear thinking and an honest understanding of the journey ahead.

The book groups its questions into seven areas: mindset, opportunity, strategy, money, team, systems and context. Together, these offer a framework for examining both the business proposition and the person preparing to lead it.

Is there a worthwhile opportunity? What resources will the venture require? Who should be involved? And does growing bigger necessarily mean becoming more successful? These are practical considerations that can easily disappear beneath the excitement of launching something new.

Velentzas draws on two decades of experience founding and scaling ventures across European markets, alongside senior executive roles at Hellenic Duty Free Shops and Avolta. His business background includes franchise, distribution and representation partnerships involving brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Hershey’s, Superdry and Korres.

He describes the book as the one he wishes he had read before his first start-up. Rather than offering a rigid checklist, it is intended to support structured reflection on the forces that help businesses succeed or quietly undermine their progress.

His experience also challenges the assumption that every company must pursue rapid expansion. Some businesses achieve success through stable, profitable income while deliberately choosing to remain small. Others may benefit from strategic growth, while some ideas are best reconsidered before substantial commitments are made.

That is a useful perspective for first-time founders, existing small business owners considering expansion, and students exploring entrepreneurship. Investors, enterprise educators, accelerators and incubators are also among the intended readership.

For That’s Business readers, the appeal lies in its emphasis on making a considered decision. Starting a business can be rewarding, but deciding how, when and whether to proceed deserves attention.

Sometimes, the strongest entrepreneurial move is to start confidently. Sometimes it is to grow carefully or stay small. And sometimes, having asked the difficult questions, it is to walk away with your resources intact.

https://lidpublishing.com