Tewkesbury Borough Council considers name change

Tewkesbury Borough Council is considering changing its name because of the wide area it covers

A council is considering changing its name to "better represent" the diversity of its area.

Tewkesbury Borough Council said it was looking at changing its name to North Gloucestershire Borough Council.

The idea came after community groups said the current name was not inclusive of the entire borough, which covers 160 square miles.

It has now launched a consultation to hear more views from residents and businesses.

Areas such as Brockworth, Bishop's Cleeve, Winchcombe and Churchdown are among the other places that fall under the council's administration.

The consultation over the name coincides with the launch of a new council plan, which sets out the authority's vision and priorities for the next four years.

The council said that it was a good time to explore if there was any support for a new name, as the existing logo was outdated and difficult to use on digital assets such as the website and online forms.

'Minimal cost'

In a statement, the council said: "We want to ensure our name is as inclusive as it possibly can be.

"We also don't feel that our current name reflects our ambition to attract jobs and investment for our whole borough and better reflect our key strategic location."

The council added: "Any costs would be very minimal and covered by existing budgets - and phased over time, including the design work which can easily be done in-house."

Any physical signage would be updated as part of the sign's normal maintenance to avoid any additional costs.

If approved, the authority said the roll-out would take part in two phases:

• Phase one - April 2024: focused on areas where the new name can be applied without any additional spending e.g. on digital channels and assets

• Phase two - 2024 onwards: centred on physical assets, such as street furniture, vehicles and signage. Only items due for replacement - ensuring no additional cost to the council

Views on the possible name change can be submitted as part of the consultation on the council plan, which runs until 2 February.