NEARLY £300,000 was spent on rebranding from the former district and county councils to the new authority, documents have revealed.

A freedom of information (FOI) request showed Westmorland and Furness Council has spent £295,000 on rebranding and has a total budget of £375,000 for the scheme following a major overhaul in local government in 2023.

In April the unitary authorities of Westmorland and Furness Council and Cumberland Council replaced Cumbria County Council and the former district councils. Westmorland and Furness Council covers the areas of Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland.

Among the expenditure the council spent £4,000 on design agency support for a new logo and associated ‘final’ design work.

Documents show the council has spent £50,999 on rebranding council vehicles, £66,460.29 on statutory uniforms as well as £40,000 on promotional banners, door drops and videos for the new local authority.

A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council said: “Following the government’s decision to create two unitary councils for Cumbria, one of the areas of work that was a safe and legal requirement was the branding of the two new authorities.”

The FOI also shows the council spent £700 on rebranding pre-paid envelopes and £430 on contract seal.

The local authority spent £35,569.95 on building signage and rebranding as well as £12,899.34 on car park signage, said the FOI.

A spokesperson added: “Westmorland and Furness Council’s budgeted spend was across our whole geography and included a wide range of public services. This allocation was necessary to ensure the council could operate legally, and as much of the work as possible was done in-house to keep costs down. Where it was necessary to outsource, there was a commitment to use local suppliers.

“While we fully appreciate this is a significant amount of money, it is in line with, or less than, the spend of other councils who have gone through similar reorganisations.

“As a new authority we recognise the absolute importance of spending public money wisely, one of our core values is to be financially responsible with a commitment to making the most efficient use of resources for our residents.”