The bereaved wife of a councillor who passed away has spoken of her upset after a street sign named after her husband was branded with the wrong council’s logo.
Box Place, on the new Emmbrook Place estate, was named after Wokingham Town councillor James Box, who passed away in 2020. But when private developer Vistry installed the new street sign it was brandished with the logo of Woking Borough Council – not Wokingham.
James’s wife Lynne Bellchamber said the mistake ‘felt disrespectful'. She told the News: “It was upsetting it just felt disrespectful. The council had said what a lovely memorial it would be and it turned into a bit of a laughing stock.
“The council told me three years ago they’d use his name on the street sign, and that turned into a disappointment. It just carried this weight for us – if we hadn’t been waiting this long it wouldn’t have hurt like it did.”
She added: “I know it was a mistake and that it’s being rectified – but it just felt like there was no care and that’s what hurts.”
The street signs were supposed to bear the logo of Wokingham Borough Council. But as it’s a private road the council has confirmed that the developer Vistry is responsible.
Vistry had selected the name from a list recommended by Wokingham Town Council, where James Box had been a member.
James Box
The borough council said it notified Vistry as soon as it became aware of the error, and the developer removed the sign on Thursday, June 6. Vistry said the mistake was ‘due to an oversight'.
A spokesperson for Vistry Thames Valley told the News : “This was due to an oversight when the signs were ordered and unfortunately, it wasn’t picked up until after the signs were installed.
“The signs have since been removed and we have ordered replacements, which we are waiting for confirmation of the delivery date.”
The spokesperson added: “We appreciate residents have had to wait longer than anticipated for these signs but sometimes we do experience delays for a variety of reasons.”
Lynne Bellchamber told the News she is proud of James’s time representing Wescott on Wokingham Town Council.
She said: “He was a Sussex-born boy but he made the move up here for me and adopted the town as his. He was very proud to represent it and did everything he could to make it a better place.
"He gave everything and I’m proud of him for that.”
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