Tewkesbury Borough Council has decided against a name change, saving £10,000. The decision comes amid potential local government reorganizations in Gloucestershire.
Tewkesbury: The Tewkesbury Borough Council has dropped its plan to change its name. They were considering rebranding to North Gloucestershire Borough Council. This decision was made due to possible changes in local government.
The council had voted for the name change last September. They believed it better represented the area. However, they decided to postpone the change until March 2025. They wanted to see what the government would propose regarding local government reorganization.
The English Devolution white paper suggests creating more unitary councils. This means Tewkesbury could merge with the County Council. Because of this, the council decided not to go ahead with the rebrand.
At a recent meeting, council leader Richard Stanley said it would be unwise to continue with the name change. They had set aside £10,000 for this, but only spent £100 on a website domain.
Stanley also mentioned that staff worked on the new logo in their own time. He noted that they had consulted the public twice about the name change. The response was the largest they had ever received.
He pointed out the irony of having a major council reorganization without public consultation. The council will continue to be called Tewkesbury Borough Council, which some see as a small victory.
In the end, councillors voted unanimously to cancel the name change.
