A WELCOME sign may seem, at first glance, like a triviality that wouldn’t be missed. In Wotton-under-Edge, however, this is not the case, with nearly 1,000 people calling for their own recently removed welcome sign to be returned.

The case in Wotton is sadly an issue of bureaucracy versus common sense, with the reasoning behind the removal falling flat when held under scrutiny.

Firstly, in relation to planning, the sign was placed on a listed building (with, it is important to add, the consent of that building’s owner). However, what had previously sat in its spot – for 11 years – was a board of plywood that made said listed building resemble something out of a shanty town.

Why, with more than a decade without complaint, would anybody raise a fuss when a sign promoting Wotton was pasted over the plywood.

Secondly, regarding to the other hurdle campaigners must leap, the sign apparently needs consent due to its classification as an advertisement. While this consent will likely be given, it still seems ludicrous that a poster highlighting the positives of a whole town would be classed as an advertisement. And the fact that anybody viewing the sign would have to be stood in that town is the icing on the cake.

It is not for the benefit of any particular business or product, it is for the benefit of a whole community, and is that not the most important thing?