Tewkesbury Borough Council will change its name

The council will change its name to North Gloucestershire Borough Council

A council in Gloucestershire has voted to change its name.

Councillors voted 26 to eight in favour of renaming Tewkesbury Borough Council to North Gloucestershire Borough Council at a meeting on Tuesday.

A soft launch will begin in December, when the council will begin the process of changing its logo and name on its website.

Council leader Richard Stanley said the name change was "important in making sure different areas felt included".

It was thought the current name was not inclusive of the entire borough, which covers 160 sq miles (414 sq km).

Bishops Cleeve, Brockworth, Churchdown and Shurdington are just some of the areas covered by the borough council.

During a council consultation, about 58.64% of people supported the name change, compared to 41.36% of people against it.

Concerns were raised about the cost, loss of history and the justification for the change.

It is expected to cost £10,000, which is the same amount of money that would be spent on digitising the logo, the council said.

In his opening remarks, Mr Stanley revealed a personal story regarding the importance of a name, when, aged 12, he was adopted by his then stepfather.

"My name changed from Richard Ward to Richard Stanley.

"I don't remember anyone arguing saying who cares, why don't you keep your old name," he said.

Councillor Stanley said having the same name meant he felt he and his father were "more of a team".

The new logo (pictured) will soon start appearing around the borough.

But not everybody supported the change.

Independent councillor Mike Sztymiak questioned whether "hidden costs" might be of concern down the line, and described the removal of Tewkesbury as a "downgrade".

He also questioned the support seen in the consultation adding that it failed to meet the council's "mandate of achieving a 66% majority".