Walk Maps

Maps make life easier

Now is a good time to update or create delivery maps for every ward you work in or are intending to start to work in. ALDC’s Political Officer Mark Alcock improves your Walk Maps:

The need for good delivery maps is a key part of your ability to be able to deliver your message in your Focuses, direct mail and newspapers both in peacetime and even more importantly in the election period.
Above is a delivery map template with notes around explaining the different sections and why they are needed. It is very important that you include all the different information as indicated in the template.
You will have a network of deliverers, (hopefully) these will be people who know the areas that they deliver in. If you create delivery maps for everyone of your rounds, you will make it easier to recruit new deliverers as you will be able to show them the map with the round that they will be delivering. Having your whole delivery network mapped is a must if you are looking to bring in outside assistance in a by-election or for an action day in target council or parliamentary seat.
You can download maps for your area from www.election-maps.co.uk these are free for use.  You may download the required number of map copies to cover each constituency or ward, including for the following uses:

• For election literature within the limitations of UK and European law
• In campaigning and canvassing

Ordnance Survey “Election Maps”

All hard copies and electronically published material produced from Ordnance Survey data must carry the acknowledgement: Reproduced from Ordnance Survey map data by permission of Ordnance Survey, © Crown copyright 2008. All rights reserved.

Adding extra/missing Road Names

When you download the maps you will find that some streets/road names are not on the map, you can rectify this by using the artistic text tool in PagePlus11, and placing the name onto the maps.  You can use this method to put directions for hard to find letterboxes, instructions for ‘letterbox round back’ etc
In the template above you will see on the right the street names are in black and blue. The ones in blue were not on the map when downloaded, so following the instructions above you can put all the missing names in the correct place so that all roads are named and visible.  Sometimes the maps will have wording imposed over street/road names, using the same process as above you can have missing letters or letters that have been replaced. For example the M and I in Mildred Ave in the above template were imposed.

In some areas the practise is to laminate the delivery maps so that they last longer and stay dry, in other areas they are printed on card with a return address so that when the delivery is finished the card can be returned using a freepost address, this helps you keep tabs on when the rounds are completed. 
It is important that the maps are clear and easy to read, if they are you will have people come back to assist time and time again.
Always make sure that you include a contact phone number that people can ring and that someone will answer, a mobile number is usually best as you will probably be out delivering yourself.
Some quick rules for good delivery maps:

• Always include a contact telephone number
• Make sure that all the road/street names are included on the map, that are printed in the delivery list
• Include a Postcode for Sat Nav users
• Include any special instructions i.e. dangerous dog, letterbox round back of no 19 etc.
• Don’t forget the imprint and the small print giving permission to use maps
• Always include leaflet quantities after street names. This allows rounds to be split more easily when delivery is being shared.
• Always say thank you!

See also

• Delivery Networks

Useful files

• Deliver map creation instructions – A3 PDF
• Template delivery map in pageplus 11
• Template delivery map PDF
• Campaigns Dept Big Build Delivery Recruitment Module

Useful external links

Ordnance Survey

• www.election-maps.co.uk

Can you help?Updates and comment
If you have any suggestions on how this post could be improved, want to send us any relevant examples or artwork or if you find any errors, please email ALDC by clicking here.
July 2008 Updated Nov 2011

Cllr Mark Alcock is an ALDC political officer and Oldham Borough Councillor
mark.alcock@aldc.org