WEST Somerset Council has not changed its name, just its logo, astonished councillors were told at Wednesday's full meeting of the district council. Letterheads, signs and council vehicles either already bear or are due to display the title 'West Somerset Council' and its new £4,000 green leaves logo. However, councillors were told the name of the authority had not altered but remained as West Somerset District Council. Incredulous district councillors stepped up to back a motion put forward by Cllr Peter Humber to record formally their concern that the decision to rebrand the council had been taken solely by senior officers. The Free Press revealed in March that the council had spent thousands of pounds to drop a word from its title and replace its traditional stag logo. At the time, council officers said the move was intended to clear up confusion and address criticisms that the authority had an "inconsistent" image. Now it seems the authority has not one but two images, with some council papers referring to both West Somerset Council and West Somerset District Council. Customers have been asked to make cheques payable to West Somerset Council and letters have been sent out asking people to update their records with the new "name and logo". On April 19, the Free Press received a letter from the authority's media and PR officer Stacey Beamont confirming the change. The letter stated: "As part of its modernisation programme West Somerset District Council has changed its logo and dropped the word 'District' from its title to become West Somerset Council." But deputy chief executive Rod Latham told Wednesday's full council meeting: "If the name had been changed we would have needed full council approval. "The name hasn't been changed, just the logo." Dumfounded, Cllr Humber - who had criticised senior officers for failing to consult councillors about the rebranding and simply presenting them with a 'fait accompli' - said: "I really and truly do not know what to say. "We are West Somerset Council but we're not. We are West Somerset District Council but we're not. What image does this give to the district?" Cllr Humber had questioned the legality of the apparent change in the authority's name and said councillors had been affronted by the "discourteous" way in which the changes were brought about. Cllr Hugh Davies said a senior officer had told members that officers had ploughed ahead with the rebranding exercise without consulting councillors for fear such discussions would produce "a mixed bag of ideas". Cllr Jess Griffith said the rebranding had resulted in "astonishing inconsistency" and added: "Sometimes the name is changed and sometimes it is not. "A name is a serious issue. It sets out who you are and what you are about. "The decision by senior officers not to consult councillors implies contempt for what we are here to do. We were democratically elected." Cllr Martyn Snell called for a new set of rules and regulations to be "laid down" to senior officers, while Cllr Mike Gammon said he was "appalled" and warned that changing the logo alone would not change the image of the council. Cllr Simon Stokes called for those responsible for the rebranding to be censured: "This was done without consulting us. This seems to be a West Somerset disease. We can't go on brushing mistakes under the carpet. "There has to be censure when something is done that is wrong." The rebranding exercise was itself branded as "an expensive retrograde step" by Cllr David Gliddon, who failed to get an answer as to how much it would cost to put the new logo on all council- related correspondence, signs and vehicles. Cllr Keith Ross told the meeting: "A council in this country that does not have a description is a unitary authority. "We are not a unitary council so I don't know why on earth we have changed." But while councillors from across the political divide were generally happy to record their discontent over the rebranding exercise formally, members of the ruling group were keen to encourage the council to 'move on'. Cllr Bryan Leaker said that he believed the authority had "got it wrong" but he was certain members of the public would prefer the council to focus on more important issues. Deputy leader Cllr Ann Foxhuntley said the name of the authority had not changed and the rebranding exercise was now too far down the line to be changed. She urged councillors to accept the current position and added an amendment to Cllr Humber's motion, calling for councillors to be consulted if the issue was considered again "possibly at the time of the new offices".