Street sign error is upsetting, says bereaved wife

The Box Place street sign was erroneously brandished with the logo of Woking Borough Council

The bereaved wife of a councillor has spoken of being upset after a street sign named after her husband was branded with the wrong council logo.

Box Place, on the new Emmbrook Place estate in Wokingham, Berkshire, was named after town councillor James Box, who passed away in 2020.

But private developer Vistry installed a new street sign brandished with the logo of Woking Borough Council, instead of Wokingham.

The company said the mistake had been "due to an oversight".

Mr Box's wife Lynne Bellchamber said it "felt disrespectful" and "upsetting".

Ms Bellchamber said she had been told her husband's name would be used on a street sign three years ago.

"It just carried this weight for us – if we hadn’t been waiting this long it wouldn’t have hurt like it did," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

“I know it was a mistake and that it’s being rectified – but it just felt like there was no care and that’s what hurts.”

James Box was a councillor for Wokingham Town Council

Wokingham Borough Council confirmed that Vistry was responsible for the sign, as it is a private road.

The sign was removed on 6 June. It is unclear when it was erected.

Vistry had selected the name from a list recommended by Wokingham Town Council, where Mr Box had been a member.

A spokesperson said the mistake "was due to an oversight when the signs were ordered, and unfortunately it wasn’t picked up until after the signs were installed.

“The signs have since been removed and we have ordered replacements."

Ms Bellchamber said she was proud of Mr Box’s time representing Wescott on Wokingham Town Council, as he "did everything he could to make it a better place".