Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · 12d

"Car advertisements are as unrealistic as cigarette advertisements were... portraying glamorous aspirational scenarios that users cannot achieve: e.g. showcasing cars driving through empty cities. Congestion, air pollution, noise, crashes, and impacts of climate change do not feature."

🔥🔥🔥

Faculty of Public Health @fphuk.bsky.social · 13d

The harms of car dependency go far beyond traffic jams.

In our latest blog, Jennifer Mindell and Eleanor Lyons explore how cars act as commercial determinants of health, contributing to pollution, noise, road danger, and inequalities.

Read more: www.fph.org.uk/blog/cars-as...

Cars as commercial determinants of health

Transport is important for health.

www.fph.org.uk

2

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · 20d

Heading to #LabourPartyConference this year? Join us for an amazing (FREE!) panel event on creating healthy public spaces.

Featuring:
- Dame Henrietta Moore
- Margaret Mullane MP
- Areeba Hamid, exec-dir at Greenpeace UK
- Cllr Julia Willams
- Hugh Ellis, TCPA.

bit.ly/adfree-labco...

Event: Healthy neighbourhoods, green streets and thriving public spaces: how the planning system should serve local communities - Adfree Cities

Monday 29th September 2025, 11am, please register for free below@ The Institute Room, Quaker Meeting House, Liverpool (22 School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BT) - Labour Party Conference fringe event (All we...

bit.ly

1

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · 21d

Junk food & gambling ads right outside the @libdems.org.uk conference shows why we're here talking to councillors about policies to restrict harmful ads to protect #publichealth & #nature🌿 @ldnc-uk.bsky.social @assoclibdemcllrs.bsky.social @libdemlocalgov.bsky.social

2 5

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · 27d

We're off to Greater Manchester this weekend: come and find us at one of the three venues we're visiting to talk with communities and councillors about our public spaces and public health. Full details here: adfreecities.org.uk/events/

1 2

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · 27d

@luketaylorld.bsky.social @clivejonesmp.bsky.social @rozsavage.bsky.social @rodneyberman.bsky.social @assoclibdemcllrs.bsky.social @libdemlocalgov.bsky.social @carogucc.bsky.social

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · 27d

1

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · 27d

We were very pleased to see the issue of outdoor advertising & the health impact on local communities raised in the Lords last week - we will be discussing this issue at our fringe event at Lib Dem conference next weekend - 21st Sept 6.15-7.15pm - & supporting councillors to take action locally

Natalie Bennett @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social · Sep 12

Outdoor corporate ads invade our shared spaces without consent. They cause light pollution, push things we don’t need, and make us miserable. Cities from São Paulo to Amsterdam have banned them — why not here?

#AdFreeCities | #PublicSpace | @adfreecities.bsky.social

2 1

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Sep 11

Calling all #Lambeth Adblockers! 📢 Adblock Lambeth are holding a meeting on Monday 29th September - 6pm - 8pm @ The Prince Regent pub, Herne Hill. Get involved in planning their activities for the year ahead & find out more about what they have been up to - adfreecities.org.uk/lambeth/

Adblock Lambeth - Adfree Cities

Adblock Lambeth formed in February 2021. We cherish our communities and want to protect them, so we oppose corporate advertising which harms body image, equality in representation, local business and ...

adfreecities.org.uk

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Sep 10

Who watches the watchdog? Erm... no-one, apparently. We submitted a joint complaint to the ASA about their own misleading adverts, along with our @badvertising.bsky.social partners. The ASA won't investigate it. So who will?

Andrew Simms @andrewsimms.bsky.social · Sep 9

We asked the UK advertising watchdog, the ASA, to investigate its own ads for being misleading. Then, to use the universal language of clickbait, this happened (they said their own rules didn't apply to them)
@badvertising.bsky.social @adfreecities.bsky.social

theecologist.org/2025/sep/09/...

The watchdog living beyond its rules

Advertising regulator in Britain asked to investigate its own adverts...

theecologist.org

3 2

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Sep 8

Congratulations to the Vale of Glamorgan for becoming the first local authority in #Wales to introduce an Advertising & Sponsorship Protocol which restricts 'junk food', gambling & payday loans to protect the public health of local communities 🥳 Which Welsh Council will be next?...

AdBlock Cardiff @adblockcardiff.bsky.social · Sep 4

Not #Cardiff #Caerdydd, but great to see this down the road in the #ValeOfGlamorgan, where the council have agreed to push ahead with plans to ban unhealthy food adverts in certain public spaces. Da iawn!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

@adfreecities.bsky.social
#AdvertisingShitsInYourHead

Vale of Glamorgan council ban on junk food ads to go ahead

There will be a ban on unhealthy food adverts being advertised in certain public spaces and the council website.

www.bbc.co.uk

4 11

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Sep 8

Do you live in Cardiff and want to see fewer harmful ads? Tell your councillor to support a stronger ad policy for Cardiff.

AdBlock Cardiff @adblockcardiff.bsky.social · Sep 3

⚠️ HELP NEEDED!

Soon @cardiffcouncil.bsky.social will consider a new Advertising Policy banning ads for fossil fuel cars, gambling & alcohol on council sites. Write to your councillor to ask for their support!

actionnetwork.org/letters/supp...

@adfreecities.bsky.social
#AdvertisingShitsInYourHead

2 3

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Sep 3

Here is our blog from the summit last year - sadly not much has changed and a national ad ban is still a no-brainer! adfreecities.org.uk/2024/10/gamb...

Gambling ads: a no brainer for a national ban? - Adfree Cities

Given the harms caused by gambling, and the risk of children becoming addicted, why is gambling advertising such a Wild West? Adfree Cities's Charlotte Gage has been finding out why regulation isn’t w...

adfreecities.org.uk

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Sep 3

Good to see that gambling advertising is understood as a public health issue at the Peers For Gambling Reform summit & there is a need for OHID to expand their gambling harms remit to cover the impact of ads @drbeccycoopermp.bsky.social

2

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Sep 3

We are at the Peers For Gambling Reform summit today - Will from @endgamblingads.bsky.social highlights the 90+ councils who already ban gambling ads because they understand the impact they have on local communities. But we really need a NATIONAL BAN to protect people from gambling harms

1 2 3

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Aug 26

Great to see that Norwich City Council have rejected new unnecessary digital ad screens in the city centre saying that additional screens would overwhelm the city's heritage & beauty with a proliferation of advertising @adblocknorwich.bsky.social www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/2521730...

Officials pan bid for more screens in city centre

Officials fearing advert overload have binned multinational ad company's bid to stick even more screens on city centre streets.

www.eveningnews24.co.uk

6

Reposted by Adfree Cities

AdBlock Cardiff @adblockcardiff.bsky.social · Aug 19

Great to see this in the Vale of Glamorgan. More and more Welsh councils are taking such steps - but wouldn't it be great to see parties campaigning for a national ban at next year's Senedd election?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

@adfreecities.bsky.social
#AdvertisingShitsInYourHead

Vale of Glamorgan council hopes to ban junk food adverts

Vale of Glamorgan council could be the first to ban junk food adverts in some public spaces.

www.bbc.co.uk

4 1

Reposted by Adfree Cities

Labour Behind the Label @labourlabel.bsky.social · Aug 11

We can't afford billionaires. We can't afford extreme wealth. But we CAN afford living wages and a good life for all workers. So we're joining @makethempay.bsky.social with the Billionaires Out of Fashion bloc. Join us!

1 22 18

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Aug 13

Three dilapidated billboards in east Bristol have got us thinking about how the space could look different.

What would you rather see instead of corporate advertising?

#BetterWithoutBillboards

Image shows a billboard that has half fallen down revealing rusty framework. Text over the image reads "How the billboards look now"

A CGI image shows a bench and a tree next to a road. Text over the image reads "how the space could look".

1 3 3

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Jul 30

🌼 Heading to #GreenGathering this weekend? So are we!
We're bringing our anti-advertising monstrosity #BillboardDystopia to the Campaigns Field, and running workshops in the Campaigns Dome on Friday at 12pm and Saturday at 2pm. Hope to see you there 💚 www.greengathering.org.uk/campaigns-fi...

Campaigns Field

The Campaigns Field is the centre of politics and protest at the Gathering – bringing together activists and academics, and raising awareness around diverse social and environmental justice issues.

www.greengathering.org.uk

2

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Jul 17

France set to pass advertising ban on ultra-fast fashion brands like Shein and Temu 🙌

This is the kind of bold action we need to break the cycles of consumerism that are so harmful to people and planet.

www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

French Senate backs law to curb ultra fast-fashion

France's Senate approved a revised version of a law regulating fast fashion on Tuesday, which if implemented would ban advertising by fast-growing Chinese e-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu.

www.reuters.com

1 4 17

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Jul 17

Former president of WPP UK - an ad firm representing some of the world's worst polluters - is now able to influence UK foreign policy.

Is this what being a climate leader looks like?

novaramedia.com/2025/07/16/d...

David Lammy Shouldn’t Have Given a Spin Doctor for Planetary Death a Plum Foreign Office Job | Novara Media

Is someone who has years of experience doing PR for fossil fuel companies wrecking the planet the best choice to oversee the Foreign Office? Obviously not, writes Adam Ramsay.

novaramedia.com

2 3

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Jul 14

🐮 Demand for industrial animal farming is driven by advertising and marketing.
👩‍🌾 This petition calls on government to promote plant-based foods, and end any support for campaigns promoting meat and dairy. Please sign and share:
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...

Petition: Promote plant-based foods over meat and dairy for a healthier Britain

To help protect planetary and human health, the Government must promote plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, and legumes, and end any support for campaigns promoting meat and dairy....

petition.parliament.uk

4 6

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Jul 9

"I'm not lovin' it" says this thought-provoking cow mural by artist Louis Michel. The manager of the McDonald's opposite wasn't loving it either, and threatened legal action. Are they scared that people might stop and think about the reality behind their marketing?
realmedia.press/mcdonalds-mu...

McDonald’s Threaten Legal Action Over Mural - Real Media - The View From Below

A manager of the Penge McDonalds threatened legal action after vegan street artist Louis Michel painted a rather beautiful rendition of a cow sitting in a burger with the slogan “I’m Not Lovin’It”.

realmedia.press

1 3

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Jul 8

CO2 emissions from UK aviation are higher than ever. But flights are advertised as a harmless bit of fun.

Join Adfree co-director Robbie Gillett to explore the role of advertising in driving aviation demand, and the strategies we have to challenge it.

climatecatalyst.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Insight Exchange: Ending aviation advertising. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

Advertising serves as a powerful outlet for the aviation industry to reach the public — one which civil society cannot compete with. But, there may be an opportunity to creatively challenge the indust...

climatecatalyst.zoom.us

1 1 3

Adfree Cities @adfreecities.bsky.social · Jul 7

Live from Parliament: it's frustrating to see some MPs pointing to existing regulation to address miselading and harmful advertising, when we know from our own engagement with the ASA that regulation is failing to do this: adfreecities.org.uk/tag/asa/. We need government to act.

asa - Adfree Cities

adfreecities.org.uk

1 2