Roundabout Sponsorship Policy

Policy objectives include:

• to standardise the approach to roundabout sponsorship
• to fund the maintenance and enhancement of existing roundabouts through the installation of low maintenance landscape designs
• to standardise the signage used to promote the Council and its partnership working with the relevant town or parish council
• to highlight the agreed name of the County’s roundabouts
• to highlight any existing partnership working with town and parish councils that currently takes place
• to give businesses an authorised opportunity to advertise on the highway
• to be part of a comprehensive approach to the management of illegal signing on the highway
• to support the aspiration for more art on Dorset roundabouts

Key Influences include:

• the need to generate additional external funds to supplement existing maintenance budgets
• Highways Act 1980.
• Town and Country Planning Act 1990
• Traffic Management Act 2004
• safety – to ensure the signs for the sponsorship of a roundabout (and other appropriate areas of highway) are installed and maintained safely and in locations that do not compromise the safety of highway users

The intention is to gain sponsorship on all suitable roundabouts for which Dorset Council has responsibility.

The external funding secured will then be used to improve the general standard of maintenance on all roundabouts, irrespective of whether it is sponsored or not.  

In addition, this funding will be used to design and install new low-maintenance roundabout landscaping designs, with the aim of reducing the cost of Council maintenance. 

Sponsorship of all suitable roundabouts (and other appropriate areas of highway).

Any roundabouts that are deemed to be unsuitable (on either safety or amenity grounds). 

Dorset’s roundabout sponsorship scheme is overseen by the Council’s Procurement team and is managed by the Marketing and Sponsorship Team who report to the Commercial Manager.

This includes the day-to-day running of the scheme, liaising with the Sign Shop to produce and erect all required signage, applying for advertising consent where necessary and managing the relationship between the sponsors and the council.   

Anyone interested in sponsoring a roundabout should contact the Marketing and Sponsorship Team who can advise on the availability and cost of individual roundabouts.  

The Marketing and Sponsorship Team can be contacted on 01305 224125 or by e-mail Marketing@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.

Measures of effectiveness include:

• the percentage of available roundabouts that are sponsored
• the income generated for the Council from roundabout sponsorship
• the number of roundabouts with improved levels of maintenance, irrespective of whether they are sponsored or not
• to encourage the implementation of low maintenance landscaping and art on roundabouts

This policy was last reviewed in 2021. 

The next expected review date is 2024.