Parties responsible for the placing of adverts on tfl.gov.uk
Request ID: FOI-2740-1920
Date published: 23 December 2019
You asked
I was shocked to see that the Transport for London website hosted at tfl.gov.uk is running embedded advertising. As I am sure you are aware, the Government Digital Services guidance on using a .gov.uk domain (found here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/use-your-govuk-domain-name) prohibits using the domain to "advertise products, commodities or services for private individuals, firms or corporations".
I would like to request the following information:
- Details of the approval process that led to adding the advertising code to the tfl.gov.uk website.
- Names and positions/grades of the people who had ultimate responsibility for approving the addition of adverts to the tfl.gov.uk website.
- Details of the website accessibility study that was performed in line with 2018 regulations on accessibility standards for public sector websites on the tfl.gov.uk website following the addition of full page background adverts.
I look forward to a prompt and full response.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-2740-1920
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 11 December 2019 asking for information about the parties responsible for the placing of adverts on tfl.gov.uk.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold some of the information you require.
By way of background, TfL is legally permitted to carry advertising on its assets under paragraph 13, Schedule 11 of the Greater London Authority Act.
To address your specific point about .gov.uk websites carrying advertising, the restriction referred to in the guidance you cited applies to the proposed .gov.uk domain name itself - in other words, the name itself cannot be used as a form of advertising. The restriction does not prevent the selling of advertising on a website whose core role is to promote the services of Transport for London.
Turning to your specific requests and your two questions below, we do not hold this information. The changes to the website were made in excess of 10 years ago.
- Details of the approval process that led to adding the advertising code to the tfl.gov.uk
- Names and positions/grades of the people who had ultimate responsibility for approving the addition of adverts to the tfl.gov.uk website
In answer to your third question:
- Details of the website accessibility study that was performed in line with 2018 regulations on accessibility standards for public sector websites on the tfl.gov.uk website following the addition of full page background adverts
we are able to provide the following information:
• Our website is required to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018
• The adverts on TfL.gov.uk are set up in such a way so as to be ignored by assistive technologies (such as screen readers)
• In December 2017 our website was audited by a third party accessibility specialist
• We are currently updating the parts of the website that do not meet the WCAG standards
• The deadline for the website to meet these standards is 23 September 2020
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Graham Hurt
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
[email protected]
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