Galway city’s rebrand consultation comes under fire as council defends new logo
Galway City Community Network (GCCN) has raised concerns about Galway City Council’s rebrand consultation process while the local authority defended its controversial new logo during a special meeting with councillors.
Galway City Community Network told the Irish Independent the consultation survey from Galway City Council was insufficient due to its reach and timeline.
The network’s statement came ahead of a private meeting between elected members and City Council management on September 30.
GCCN said it circulated the consultation via e-newsletter to its members - over 200 community and volunteer groups - on July 15, with a seven-day deadline for feedback.
“GCCN received Galway City Council’s The Future Brand Survey one week before the survey’s deadline. We circulated it to our member groups via email,” a GCCN spokesperson said. “To reach the wider public of Galway city a consultation process would need to be available in sufficient time via websites, publicised on social media, local radio, newspapers etc.”
“We do not consider a survey, without any prior input, or a participatory engagement process afterwards, to be a sufficient consultation process.”
Galway City Council also sent a private email about the rebrand to elected members, Oireachtas Members, Staff, SPC members, and business/ community representatives. The council received 37 responses in total.
The new logo has been rolled out in September
“When GCCN facilitates any engagement in public consultations we would circulate relevant information on our website, social media, via email, via our Linkage Groups and through our newsletter to our member groups,” the network said.
“GCCN is concerned with the meaningful and effective participation of communities in decisions that affect their lives.”
“For us best practice in public consultation involves engaging all stakeholders early in the process to co design engaging events such as public workshops and community discussions. These should be broadly advertised on websites, radio, local newspapers and newsletters ensuring people have enough time to engage in the process.”
Following criticism from the local community, in September Galway city councillors requested a special meeting with Chief Executive Leonard Cleary over the controversial rebrand.
As a result, a workshop took place on Wednesday September 30, during which Mr Cleary assured members that the new visual identity is proceeding through the formal trade-marking process, with legal advice indicating no issues with the new branding.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to refresh how Galway City Council communicates with our many stakeholders,” Mr Cleary said in a statement.
Mr Cleary also commented on how Galway City Council intends to honour the original G and the Coat of Arms symbols from the original logo.
“These motifs deserve to be retained in some form,” Mr Cleary said. “With the Coat of Arms, we will continue to include the familiar emblem introduced some time after 1578 on reports and materials, as part of the wider branding strategy.”
“For the G, this is a lovely marker of a point in time in the City, and I’m going to ask staff in Heritage, the Museum, and Communications to propose an appropriate display and cultural interpretation of the emblem in either new City Hall or the Museum.”