i was just looking for some info ,I’m just filling out the papers for my operators licence and as you know i have to advertise it in the paper i will be operating from , But does that have to be a major paper or can i put it in the local free news paper we have through the door and will be sent to every house i will be operating from, i ask this as i was quoted by the Birmingham mail £799.09+VAT & Sunday mercury £385.99+VAT , the local newspaper is the coleshill post waiting for a cost price but it has to be cheaper than that surely.
Thanks for your help and hope you understand my mumbling.
I think as local papers are a bit of a rip off as they know you have to advertise they, but I’m sure I’ve read something that adverts in free papers aren’t accepted, althugh when I’ve had a query applying for an O’licence I’ve found the VOSA (DVSA) very helpful.
stuck “local newspaper for coleshill” into Google and came up with some other options that seem to cover the area, such as the Tamworth Herald or Coventry Telegraph.
The Coleshill Post (or any newspaper) will tell you if they are authorised to run the advert, they will have run many of them before. If it’s any help, my advert was placed in the Faversham Gazette, and cost £120 including VAT in 2012.
From memory, I seem to recall that the advert has to be placed in a paid-for newspaper with a minimum print run of 60,000.
Phone your paper mate and they will tell you their circulation for that area, if it’s 5% or more you should be ok. Oddly enough it can throw up some surprises, my local paper say they only issue 60 copies for my area so it wasn’t enough - even though 60 isn’t a true reflection of sold papers locally. Instead I have to advertise in nottingham or Derby evening post- both of which are 8 miles away but that meets the criteria.
Local paper is definitely appropriate as the advert is to give ‘occupiers or owners of land in the vicinity of the proposed operating centre’ chance to make representations against your application. These representations may only be made on environmental matters such as noise, pollution, disturbance etc. The advert should appear once between 21 days before and upto 21 days after the application for an O licence is made. A full page of the newspaper containing the advert should either accompany the O licence application or be sent on afterwards - as proof the advert was published.
Owners or occupiers of land in the vicinity have upto 21 days from advert appearing to make their representations. They should send you (the applicant) and the Traffic Commissioner a signed copy of their representation, giving reasons to be considered against the granting of the O licence. These reasons will be considered by the TC.
cheers guys i phoned the coleshill post and they said there isn’t enough in circulation to have it in there paper, so it’s going into the Sunday mercury this Sunday cost me £385.00+ VAT .
coleshill post would have been ideal as this is what everyone will read around the small village I’m operating by , but it’s done now and hopefully it comes back accepted and start earning my millions from January
I couldn’t believe how much they charged for the advert… I think it was £395 + vat. They can basically charge what they want as they know it’s a requirement to get the operators licence. An equivalent size ad if you were selling a car would be a fraction of the price. Outrageous really and I think it should be looked at.
, the local newspaper is the coleshill post waiting for a cost price but it has to be cheaper than that surely.
