Whether you can believe it or not, someone has actually gone to the trouble of ranking the design of every single Council logo in the UK.
It’s mad, but the commitment to the cause can only be applauded.
There are a total of 403 Councils right across the UK which have been featured on this “totally objective” list compiled by freelance writer and graphic designer Robin Wilde – who also “once worked in politics” – and published to their blog website.
How have the logos been ranked? Robin explains that: “Each has been ranked using some broad criteria accounting for the adherence to design principles, the originality of the concept, and the technical execution, with nebulous bonus points added or subtracted on a whim.”
And out of the 403 Councils in the UK, Bury is at 402.
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“Bury sits north of Manchester,” Robin explains, “and is notable for having one of the UK’s largest Jewish population clusters outside of London [but] unfortunately, it’s also got a logo like a dodgy construction company you’d see on ITV2.
“Bury Council pay cash in hand for a skip they never bother to collect,” they conclude.
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Bury Council ranks the lowest on the list at 402 out of 403 / Credit: Bury Council
Credit: Manchester City Council | Tameside Council
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council ranks at 275, Trafford comes in at 241, and Rochdale takes the 207th spot.
Manchester City Council itself then comes in at number 150.
Wigan takes 108th spot on the list, with its “understated and cute” heart and “generic colour combo” making the logo appear like “a mid-range gym chain”.
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105th place on the list goes to Salford City Council, with Robin saying that although they “adore the bold hot pink” and the font is “nicely chosen”, the logo “doesn’t quite justify the existence of a council area which should by rights have been absorbed into Manchester years ago.”
Oldham Council takes 88th spot on the list, with Robin Wilde writing: “A gradient fill is best avoided with logo work as it limits your range of use cases, particularly against busy backgrounds or when no colour can be used.”
“The overall look is striking at a glance, however,” they added.
Bolton Council takes the highest spot at 28 / Credit: Bolton Council
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council has claimed 66 on this list, with it’s “crest, but make it tasteful” praised and noted that it “seems particularly prevalent in the North”.
Out of all the 10 Councils in Greater Manchester, it’s the borough of Bolton that has taken the highest spot on the list – and it’s the highest on the list by quite some way, we might add – coming in at number 28, with Robin Wilde explaining: “A solid slab serif wordmark on its own, it’s enhanced by its use in masking the colourful patchwork emphasising the city’s variety and diversity.”
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The number one spot on the list has been awarded to Bedford Borough Council, which was praised for its “very strong use of pretty much every element” in its logo.
York, Renfrewshire, Wirral, and West Lothian each round out the top five.
Featured Image – Flickr | Bolton Council, Tameside Council, & Bury Council
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Stockport County defender Brad Hills ruled out for the rest of the season
Danny Jones
In a big blow to their promotion push, Stockport County have been hit with a major injury and loss to their first-team squad, as defender Brad Hills has been ruled out for what looks to be the remainder of the season and then some.
Not what Hatters will want to hear with crunch-time in and around the playoffs now well underway.
Having emerged as even more of a starring centre-back this year, following his initial loan spell with the club during the previous campaign, Brad Hills has arguably been one of Stockport’s best and most reliable players in 2025/26 thus far – but not County will have to do without him.
Although the exact severity is yet to be fully revealed, the former Norwich City youth academy graduate is said to have hurt his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Confirming the news on social media, the Greater Manchester side stated: “We regret to inform supporters that Brad Hills sustained an ACL injury in Saturday’s draw at Luton Town that will rule him out for the foreseeable future.
“Our full focus is on supporting Brad throughout his recovery – we know he’ll come back stronger”
For anyone unaware, ACL tears/ruptures are among some of the worst injuries in football, and depending on the extent of the damage, it can take anywhere between six months and a full year to bounce back.
Safe to say, therefore, that supporters have been left gutted by the update, with one commenting, “Awful, awful news”; another simply wrote, “FFS”.
After typing a very long expletive following the show news, fan podcast The Scarf Bergara Wore wrote: “Wishing Bradley Hills a speedy recovery – come back stronger!
Since becoming a permanent signing back in August, he’s earned multiple man-of-the-match awards in blue and white, not to mention contributed to a decent number of clean sheets. He’ll be a big miss in their backline.
While it’s no doubt a big setback as the League One team looks to get promoted into the Championship, the absence could see manager Dave Challinor reshuffle the pack and perhaps even the formation for the remaining fixtures.
One option is Louie Barry, who – depending on the setup – could finally be set for a return to the pitch after he was signed on a third loan deal this past January, but is still continuing his own rehab following a knee operation.
Put it this way, with not many games left, lots of County fans are probably wishing that the pending and potential further changes in the EFL could have come sooner…
Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
Emily Sergeant -
21st December 2021 
