Council Christmas lights switch-on costs triple

The cost of holding an event to switch on Worcester's Christmas lights tripled in 12 months, a freedom of information request has shown.

Worcester City Council decided not to hold a standalone switch-on event in the city this year, as it has done in previous years.

Instead, the lights were switched on at the end of November and mayor Matt Lamb switched on Cathedral Square's Christmas tree lights on the first night of the Victorian fayre.

Figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service showed the cost of putting on the switch-on in 2023 was £5,389, but costs for 2024 event rose to £15,058.

When the switch-on event was cancelled, the council said the cost of holding a separate event had "risen year-on-year".

The freedom of information request revealed the decision to axe the standalone event was made by managing director David Blake.

This followed a review of Worcester's events calendar, which said resources would be focused on the events that made the biggest impact.

At a place and economic development committee meeting in June, museums manager Philippa Tinsley said cuts meant the council had fewer "boots on the ground" to put on events.

She said extra resources would be made available for the Worcester Show and Victorian Fayre, which were seen as key priorities.

"Everything else, we're going to be looking at how we can manage it in the most efficient way going forward," she said.

Councillor Adrian Gregson said the review was not forward-thinking enough.

Mr Blake said the review would not "be carried out in isolation" and would involve councillors.

"The important thing is for us to understand what we can and can't do as an organisation and what we can contribute to, in terms of helping others deliver events," he said.

Figures showed the £5,389 costs in 2023 included £2,244 for security, £300 for medical cover and £1,000 for traffic management.

Costs of £15,058 for 2024, despite the switch-on being cancelled because of bad weather, included £7,892 for road closure and diversion signs and £6,799 for stewarding and security.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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