It is rare for a council’s rebranding exercise to make the front page of its local paper without the usual accusations of ‘wasting money’.

But when Wolverhampton City Council recently launched a new logo, dropping the word ‘council,’ and renamed itself ‘City of Wolverhampton’, the local Express and Star headlined its front page story with the positive ‘Major rebrand for city council’ and the strapline ‘Officers hope change will boost image and raise profile’.

Council leader Roger Lawrence said it was about ‘building local pride’. But the rename is also a signal that there have been major changes, both within the council and in the city itself – not least the recent appointment of Keith Ireland as managing director.