PLANS are afoot to re-brand Redditch Council's corporate image with a new logo.

A provisional design has been voted for by council staff featuring a kingfisher with a needle in its beak and the slogan "Making a Difference", though that phrase has been criticised.

A townwide competition to design a logo for the authority is now unlikely to happen after the executive committee voted against it.

But the full council still has to rubber-stamp the design, which will be introduced at "minimum cost" on a rolling basis.

The kingfisher symbol derives from the town's association with HMS Kingfisher in the Second World War and the needle depicts one of Redditch's traditional industries.

The council's current logo was designed in the 1980s and is meant to be an arrow pointing skywards, though that was rather lost after design changes to ease printing.

But Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Diane Thomas said the mission statement "Making a Difference" was weak.

"I support a competition for the public to design a logo and come up with a stronger strapline," she said.

Labour group leader Councillor David Cartwright also supported a competition to garner people's perceptions of Redditch as a town rather than the perception of the council.

But Council Leader Gavin Smithers said: "The phrase 'Making a Difference' was approved by everyone in the corporate plan.

"And we have a clear mandate from the staff for the logo. In an ideal world, we would like to consult more widely but the benefits are not likely to be sufficient to justify the exercise."