Sponsorship policy

Definition / General principles / Co-ordination and approval procedure / Financial procedure / Marketing and media relations / Contacts

1. Definition

1.1  Sponsorship is defined as "a business deal between two or more parties in which one party meets all or part of the costs of the project or activity in exchange for commercial benefit" (The Management Centre).

2. General principles

2.1  Hampshire County Council will endeavour, where possible and appropriate, to work in partnership with local and national businesses to identify opportunities for sponsorship that will be of mutual benefit.

2.2  Hampshire County Council will not enter into sponsorship agreements with any business which is in legal or financial conflict with the Council or which connects the Council with any political party or pressure group.

2.3  Sponsorship agreements must not be regarded by any business as a means of gaining favourable terms from Hampshire County Council in any other business agreements.

2.4  Hampshire County Council should only seek to enter into sponsorship agreements with businesses whose values, practices and products are not in conflict with Council policy.

3. Co-ordination and approval procedure

3.1  Any officer or elected member planning to approach a business with a sponsorship proposal should first consult with the External Funding Officer in the Economic Development Office to avoid several approaches being made at the same time to the same sponsor by different parts of the Council.

3.2  The External Funding Officer will then check with the County Treasurer's Department and the County Planning Department to ensure that the potential sponsor is not in legal or financial conflict with the Council.

3.3  The External Funding Officer will also consult with the County Trading Standards Office to determine whether the potential sponsor is known to operate in a manner that may be considered as prejudicial to the best interests of consumers or in breach of any trading standards legislation.

3.4  The officer seeking sponsorship should identify at the outset the sum which they are seeking to raise. They should also agree with the External Funding Officer the criteria that will be applied in determining an appropriate sponsor for the project in question.

3.5  Information on Hampshire County Council projects seeking sponsorship will be available via Hantsweb. In cases where it is proposed that more than £10,000 should be raised from a sponsorship deal, additional steps may need to be taken to advertise the opportunity to potential sponsors.

3.6  Chief officers are responsible for approving the suitability of any potential sponsorship agreement within their department, in consultation with the County Council's External Funding Officer and other funding partners.

3.7  A legal contract between Hampshire County Council and the sponsor will support all sponsorship agreements. It must be signed by the relevant chief officer on behalf of the Council.

3.8  Hampshire County Council will nominate a named officer to act as the main contact with the sponsor throughout the duration of the sponsorship agreement.

4. Financial procedure

4.1  In the case of cash sponsorship, in general payment should be made in full at the beginning of the period of sponsorship, unless the agreement runs for more than one financial year, in which case a phased payment can be agreed.

4.2  It is the responsibility of the named officer to follow financial regulations relating to the banking of sponsorship income. Similarly, if sponsorship is in terms of goods or equipment, guidelines relating to inventories should be followed.

5. Marketing and media relations

5.1  Media relations for all sponsorship agreements will be handled by Hampshire County Council's Corporate Communications Team, unless otherwise agreed with the named officer.

5.2  All information for the media produced by the sponsor must be approved by the Corporate Communications Team before circulation.

5.3  The use of sponsors' logos and other branding must not interfere with the Council's own corporate identity.

5.4  The size and positioning of sponsors' logos on promotional material and signs must be approved by the Corporate Communications Team, unless otherwise agreed with the named officer.

5.5  The use of the County Council's corporate identity on any sponsors' publicity must be approved by the Corporate Communications Team in consultation with the named officer.

Other notes

*  This policy should also be adopted when corporate sponsors use covenants as a means of supporting County Council projects.

*  This policy does not apply to schools.

Sponsorship contacts

Getting started, general advice and obtaining clearance

Jennie Pell
External Funding Officer
Economic Development Office

Tel: 01962 846571
E-mail: jennie.pell@hants.gov.uk

Corporate identity

Laura Eden
Marketing Communications Manager
Corporate Communications Team

Tel: 01962 846243
E-mail: laura.eden@hants.gov.uk

Address for all contacts

Chief Executive's Department
Hampshire County Council
The Castle
Winchester
Hampshire
SO23 8UJ

Hampshire County Council Sponsorship Policy by the Corporate Communications Team, June 2001.