New Cotswold street signs with council crest labelled a “vanity project”

Cotswold District Council has been replacing street signs with new ones which include the authority’s logo and also have the name of the local parish.

But Conservative group leader Tony Berry raised concerns about the issue during a recent debate regarding the council’s investment strategy to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The council’s medium term financial strategy identified an overall funding gap of almost £8.9m by March 2026.

And they have approved a strategy which seeks an average return of 7.4 per cent to cover the cost of capital and a return consistent with the funding gap.

However, Cllr Berry said the council could save money without affecting its core strategy instead of borrowing and he highlighted the spending on street signs.

Tony Berry

He said: “We are a small council and this sort of borrowing is not appropriate. That £30,000 or whatever it is for the crests is just indicative of all the other spending that goes on.

“It’s completely unnecessary. If that isn’t a vanity project I don’t know what is.

“Basically, we’re looking at levelling up which is also looking at unitary authorities, Cotswold District Council might not even exist in a few years. What on earth does it add to a street sign to add the parish it is in.

“People know what parish they live in. It’s not something you put in your satnav, is it?”

A Cotswold District Council spokesperson said they have an annual revenue budget for routine street sign replacement and the current replacement programme is using those funds.

They said: “Every year, we replace signs when they become damaged or of an age that replacement is required as it is not cost effective to replace them.

“Signs are not just replaced if they are worn or fading, we often simply refurbish them, however as part as our increased focus on our Clean and Green Agenda we have identified a number that need replacing.

“This links to work on building Pride in Place, enhancing green areas, tackling littering and environmental crime and ensuring that we improve and maintain both our natural and built environment.”