Windsor and Maidenhead council website to host adverts

A council is to sell adverts on its website in a bid to raise revenue.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council will sell adverts from June following cuts to its budget.

The council said its website was visited by about 30,000 users per week. It said it would vet the adverts to ensure they were suitable.

Strategic resources director Anthony Kemp said: "The council can generate income without increasing the financial burden on Royal Borough residents."

A council spokesman said the adverts would be "unobtrusive" and tobacco and alcohol would be among the products it would not advertise.

A website advertising policy was approved by the council's cabinet on 31 March.

Emma Mayor, from the Local Government Chronicle, said she initially had reservations about the idea.

"It's logical to be a little bit concerned about it because of the possibility of unsuitable ads appearing on the site," she said.

"But having looked at Windsor and Maidenhead's plans they've done a pretty good job of anticipating those sorts of issues".