York Council’s leader has spoken of her alarm after a number of fake adverts promoting fictitious initiatives from the authority were posted online.
Cllr Claire Douglas, Labour, said the level of false information being posted by those seeking to undermine democracy and community cohesion was becoming increasingly sophisticated.
She said the public should watch out for such content and question whether it is real while she called for healthy public debate based on facts.
It comes after posters mocked up with the council’s branding and advertising different false schemes have been posted on social media.
One features a man in a hard hat and hi-vis jacket climbing a ladder and pulling a St George’s flag off a lamp post.
It calls for volunteers to help remove the St George’s and Union flags that have been put up on lamp posts in York in recent months.
Another features an illustration of two people and says: ‘Do you have a spare room in York? Help support asylum seekers in your community.’
A third features a man crouching down in a street wearing a hard hat and hi-vis vest with a shovel and calls for volunteer pothole repairers.
The programmes depicted in the posters don’t exist but they feature real phone numbers and email addresses and ask people to contact them.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands the adverts have been posted and shared on social media, including in community Facebook groups.
Right-wing internet personalities have also commented on them including making video reports based on the assumption that they are real.
The adverts and online commentary about them have appeared following news on Monday, December 1, that a by-election is set to take place in the Heworth ward in January.
None of the adverts make any explicit connection to the election itself.
Council Leader Cllr Douglas said it was important that people do not believe what they see unless it comes from a trusted source such as the authority’s own communication channels.
“Those seeking to influence elections in this country, both within and from outside the UK, are using more sophisticated techniques to make their content seem genuine, so the public needs to watch out for it and always ask the question: ‘Is this real?
“The level of false information being posted is alarming, increasing significantly and is seeking to undermine UK democracy and community cohesion.
“We don’t have to accept this, we must continue to value and seek out facts and from that, engage in healthy public debate.”
