Luton Borough Council

C

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Capital letters

See capital letters

Colons

Colons are always used to introduce any list (see ‘Lists and bullet points’ on page 10), for example:
Only three people turned up for the meeting: Sarah, Rachel and Jane.
Colons can also be used to make a break when something explanatory follows, for example:
She had achieved her ambition: she was a member of the board.
Always use a colon when opening a quote for example:
The Leader of the Council said: “This is a great day for Luton.”

Commas

Use commas:

for a breathing pause in the sentence, for example: ‘When they arrived, the meeting was over’
in a list, for example: ‘I went to the shop and bought bread, milk, cheese, tea and coffee’
in pairs, in the same way we use brackets, for example: ‘My line manager, John Smith, can help with this’

Contractions

Avoid negative contractions like can’t and don’t. Many users find them harder to read, or misread them as the opposite of what they say. Use cannot, instead of can’t.

Avoid complex or conditional contractions such as should’ve, could’ve and would’ve. These can also be hard to read.

Councillors

Don't use capital letters when you write ‘councillor’ unless it forms part of a title, for example, Councillor Hazel Simmons.

Where you wish to use an abbreviation, use Cllr not Coun.

However, we suggest you use the full term ‘councillor’ as opposed to 'cllr' or ‘member’ wherever possible. These terms are clearer for the public, especially when people are using screen readers and other assistive technology.

Download a copy of our style guide