Beer mat plan to boost voting

Beer mat plan to boost voting

The beer mats aim to encourage voting in the council elections

Northamptonshire officials are trying a novel approach to get pubgoers to vote in the forthcoming local elections.

East Northamptonshire Council has put its message where it cannot be ignored - on specially-printed beer mats.

The council hopes it will help get more people out to the polling stations for the local elections on 1 May.

The council is distributing 5,000 mats to bars, hotels and off-licences.

Keith Osborne, a spokesman for East Northamptonshire Council, said: "If they pick up a beer mat in the pub, and take it home before the election, it is a constant reminder and hopefully that message will sink in."