PLANS for Wellington Town Council to have its own mascot to promote the community have been dropped by councillors.

The decision came after a public survey overwhelmingly told councillors that residents did not believe it was a good way to spend their council tax.

The council received a total of 257 survey forms, of which 183 said they did not want to see a town centre mascot, while 194 said it would not be a good use of public money.

And it did not take long for the council’s town centre committee to put the mascot suggestion to bed at its last meeting.

Former mayor Cllr Janet Lloyd said: “The figures speak for themselves – people think there are other things that we can be spending money on.

"I think we can put the mascot idea to bed.”

Cllr Catherine Govier said: “People do not think it would be a good use of public money.

"I think it is safe to say that the mascot is not the best idea.”

Another former mayor, Cllr Mark Lithgow, said: “This can now be put six-foot under with a little cross on top.”

It had originally been suggested by Cllr Marcus Barr, now the new Mayor of Wellington, that the town should have a life-size cartoon-style mascot, similar to those used by football clubs to help give the area an identity.

The mascot would be in the form of an outfit which would then be worn by a person.

But the idea had been greeted with a mooted response from Cllr Barr’s colleagues – especially when the costs were discussed, which ranged from the council buying its own mascot costume at £1,800 to £4,000, or hiring a performer and costume from an events company as and when required at cost of up to £400 a day.

It had been suggested that if Wellington was to have a mascot, it should be in the form of a fox in commemoration of the town's long history with clothmaker Fox Brothers and Co.

The survey showed that public reaction was split on a fox mascot, with 123 in favour and 134 against.