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Christmas Lights .... |
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Oct 14 2010, 03:13 PM
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Advanced Member
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From: Newbury
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QUOTE (spartacus @ Oct 14 2010, 09:33 AM) Any idea whether the lights will be going up around town again this year? And any idea how much the whole set-up costs as far as erecting them, maintaining them, powering them up and then dismantling once the festivities are over? Must be a tidy sum and a potentially large figure that could be saved if we decided to have a year without lights .........
At the risk of being accused of being a miserable begger I rather hope they can be kept in their boxes for a couple of years as one fairly significant contribution towards general budgetary savings..........
Christmas lights twinkling down on rows of empty shops doesn’t really do it for me.......... Quite agree. And how about Christmas starting in December rather than the 1st November. That would be a novelty!
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Oct 14 2010, 07:34 PM
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The cost to the tax-payer for the Christmas Lights this year is £46.0k, that's an average of £3.65 per household. Main costs are £23.1k for the contractor, £11.5k for service staffing, £2.9k for the switch-on event, with £6.1k revenue including a £5.0k contribution from the Town Centre Partnership. Those are the figures the Council publish. In reality the Council give the Town Centre Partnership a £4.0k grant each year so actually the Town Centre Partnership only stump up £1.0k, so £50.0k is more honest. However, the Council don't like to roll their considerable back-office admin and overhead costs into their service costs, so the true cost of the Christmas Lights this year is really £67.4k, and that's £5.35 per household - that would buy a bottle of mulled wine and six deep filled mince pies. The cost of the Christmas Lights has gone up 99% in the last six years - staffing costs are 200% higher. I love Chrimble, and the lights are jolly, but at the end of the day it's a promotional event for the town's traders, so why in the name of the Great Prophet Zarquon does the Town Centre Partnership only chip in £1k? And how does the Town Council manage to spend so much money on the thing? Other towns put on a good show at reasonable cost by getting a serious contribution from the shops that get the benefit, and others give the job to a voluntary organising committee.
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Right an injustice - give Simon Kirby his allotment back!
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Oct 15 2010, 07:37 AM
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Just leave them up. # Christmas (are we allowed to call it that these days? ) seems to last all year anyway!
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Oct 15 2010, 06:11 PM
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QUOTE (Richard Garvie @ Oct 15 2010, 11:02 AM) Come on, the Christmas lights are TRADITION and the event is something where the community can come together in the market place and for just a few moments, we are all in the same place for the same purpose. Aaaa-Menn.... You can't let sloppy sentiment get in the way in these times of austerity.... switch the lights off and think of the savings, I say!! QUOTE (Richard Garvie @ Oct 15 2010, 11:02 AM) ...but talk of doing away with the lights and the event is scandalous!!! ..and talk of doing away with peoples JOBS isn't scandalous? That £30k-£67k could be made to go a long way
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Oct 15 2010, 06:47 PM
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QUOTE (Strafin @ Oct 15 2010, 07:18 PM) There's loads of things the council could do to save money that many of us would be for or against. I'm more than happy with job cuts because I am far from happy with the service we get from West Berks, Christmas lights are something that could be cut but how horrible would it be to see Newbury in the press for being miserly and humbuggy right at a time when we are trying to keep the town alive. The Christmas Lights are provided by Newbury Town Council rather than West Berks, but you're argument's still sound. It's easy money for the Town Council because they just bung another sixty grand on the precept and unless you look very hard you'd have no idea how much they spend on so little. (Incidentally, if anyone wants the spreadsheet of exactly what the Council does spend, and how it's gone up over the last six years, just drop me a PM). I see no reason to forego the lights. It would indeed be a sorry state not to have them, and I'd hand the problem to the Town Centre Partnership and let them come up with the cash, because it's trade that would suffer.
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Right an injustice - give Simon Kirby his allotment back!
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Oct 15 2010, 06:56 PM
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QUOTE (Strafin @ Oct 15 2010, 07:18 PM) I'm more than happy with job cuts because I am far from happy with the service we get from West Berks Careful what you wish for..... QUOTE (Strafin @ Oct 15 2010, 07:18 PM) ....but how horrible would it be to see Newbury in the press for being miserly and humbuggy right at a time when we are trying to keep the town alive. This year I would think there could be great many towns that will be cutting back on the festive light pollution Anyone who pangs for such twinkly treats should get themselves down to Southend Bradfield for the annual chavfest....
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