IT'S not often we find ourselves disagreeing with Councillor Tom Wells, the man who represents Powick at County Hall. But today we must.

He's uneasy about the decision to name Worcester's second Severn road bridge after Coun Ron Carrington, the man whose drive and persistence is regarded as having made the building of it happen.

His concern is that calling it The Carrington Bridge makes it sound like a monument, and that's not what the public wants. We're not so sure.

To begin with, it's not a monument - even though Mr Carrington died a year before its naming - just a reflection of the effort he invested in it.

What's more, anything's better than "New Bridge", as it's been called. Battlefield Bridge - or even Bottleneck Bridge, as one wag suggested - would be as good, but no better.

It's not only in Worcester that you'll see evidence of civic service in the names of streets and buildings.

But, as places like Huntingdon Hall, Wyld's Lane and Sherriff Street show, it's a proud tradition and we lose nothing in keeping it going.

There will be readers whose brows furrow about Ron Carrington, just as they will over the part the Countess of Huntingdon once played in city life.

In 30 years, some latter-day Mike Grundy will doubtless remind readers who he was, and why he deserved the tribute - maybe alongside a feature about the Great Flood of 2000. Who knows?

Until then, people will call the bridge whatever they want.

That doesn't matter. What does is that he did his civic duty and fought for the bridge to happen. Think back 12 months, and we all have reason to be grateful.