New logo idea divides town councillors

TOWN councillors were left divided last month over a proposed new “refreshed” logo for the town council. 

The proposed new logo, which is still in the early stages of design, centres around the Town Hall and the River Avon. Festive variations of the logo – which include Christmas, Halloween and LGBT Pride themes – have also been suggested. 

The aim of the new logo project is to create something that is “less stuffy”, “accessible” and “more recognisable” for the community as, according to the town council, the community often don’t know the difference between the town council and Wiltshire Council. 

And the town council has said that any new logo will not replace the current town crest. Instead, it would be used to promote local events and the town council’s services around the town, whilst the crest would be used for more formal occasions. 

The total cost for the project is £640. 

However, at a town council meeting last month, councillors were divided, with some feeling that a new logo was not necessary, and others supportive of the attempt to make the council more approachable to the public with a new look. 

Cllr Phil Alford said, “I quite like it – I particularly like the change of colours to represent the different divisions within the council.” He also described the festive variations as “charming”. 

Deputy mayor, cllr Colin Goodhind also showed his support for the brand refresh, saying he would support the use of it, describing the proposed design as “modern and simple”. 

Cllr Graham Ellis added that he felt the current town crest is “out of touch”, and that whilst a change of look would take some getting used to, he would be in favour of using the new logo to promote the town council’s work. “Let’s use it to inform people what we do,” he said. 

Against the proposed design was mayor cllr Jon Hubbard, who didn’t feel it was a good use of public money. 

Cllr Claire Forgacs said, “I don’t like it, I’m really sorry. I love the Melksham crest, but I can’t see this on anything.” 

And in agreement, cllr Saffi Rabey added that she felt that there was no need for a new brand, and that the current town crest is sufficient.  

Cllr Hubbard also raised concerns about the Town Hall being the focal point of any new logo. He said, “We [the town councillors] all recognise the Town Hall because we are sad. A lot of people don’t recognise the Town Hall – and I think that if you are going to have something that is symbolic of Melksham, perhaps we ought to be going out and asking people what that symbol is that people see as Melksham, and not just a building on the Market Place.” 

The mayor also suggested that schoolchildren could be asked for ideas for a new logo that a professional designer could build on. 

A decision about moving forward with the new logo project was deferred until the next full town council meeting as it was considered not to be urgent.