SHAW and Crompton’s council has been criticised for an apparent ‘botched use of Latin’ on its new logo.
The switch from a ‘Parish Council’ to a ’Town Council’ has come with a design rebrand costing more than £5,000.
But councillor for Crompton, Dave Murphy, believes the new insignia contains more than one error – and the Shaw and Crompton Independents are being blamed.
The new council motto reads, ‘Nostrum oppidum, nostra communitas, nostra ambitus,’ which translates as, ‘Our town, our community, our circumference.’
However, he says according to a teacher from a leading Manchester school where Latin is taught, the new logo is riddled with basic mistakes and poor grammar.
For example, ‘ambitus’ is a masculine word in Latin, meaning ‘nostra’ should really be ‘noster.’ Capital letters also should not be used in this case as they are reserved for proper nouns.
Freedom of Information data revealed the rebrand cost the council £5,112, including money spent on badges, pins and flags sporting the new council logo.
But Liberal Democrat Cllr Murphy said: “It’s embarrassing to think that the Shaw and Crompton Independents have spent all this money and not bothered to ask an expert.
“It’s very clear they just put a few words into Google Translate.”
Councillor Diane Williamson, who represents Crompton North on the Town Council, added: “If we’re going to use a language like Latin, we should at least be getting it right.
“This is just embarrassing. If the so-called Independents had carried out a consultation in the first place.
“Rather than internet translation, the council could have got the community involved and got proper advice.”
When contacted by The Correspondent, leader of the Shaw and Crompton Independents Cllr Marc Hince returned serve.
He said: “This once again highlights the negativity of the Lib Dems when it comes to our town’s identity and civil pride.
“The change from Parish to Town council was a democratic process, with full consultation with residents.
“We sent out several newsletters informing and engaging with residents. We also had pop up shops meeting with residents. Both of which the Lib Dems tried to stop happening.
“The new town crest was designed with local children and the Latin used is a representation of our town’s logo, ‘Our Town, Our Community, Our Environment.’
“In terms of cost, the £5,112 is well within our budget set for the transition. The transition will add no additional cost to residents and is value for money in terms of our plan to promote Shaw and Crompton.
“Indeed, we are looking forward to taking possession of the former Lifelong Learning Centre as our new Town Hall, which will be a community hub for residents and stakeholders.
“Perhaps the Lib Dems should be explaining how when they ran the Parish Council, they spent £12,000 on a CCTV system for the council offices and £6,000 on an interactive TV, which has never been used, for balance!”
