The turning on of Christmas lights displays is often a highlight of the season for towns and cities across Britain, especially for local commercial properties. Attracting crowds of hundreds, sometimes thousands of people in the run up to Christmas, as well as promoting the festive spirit with Christmas music and a-list celebrities, encourages shoppers to flock to the stores in an attempt to find the perfect Christmas gifts.
This year, Manchester’s Christmas lights were turned on by Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts and chart topper Tinchy Strider, both of whom are in the public eye frequently and have large fan bases. Additionally, performances by choirs, dancers, and a huge fireworks display attract a varied audience. The fact that the event is free is possibly the biggest pull factor for those in the crowd feeling the pinch this Christmas.
The event, held in Albert Square, is right in the middle of the city, and is only a five minute walk away from popular Manchester shopping centre the Arndale. However, with a Christmas market within Albert Square itself, local traders may find festive crowds flocking around the themed stalls instead of defecting to the larger shopping mall.
London pulled out all the stops, with two major Christmas light switch-on parties, held in Regent Street and Oxford Street. Described as “One of the major tourist attractions in London this Christmas”, Regent Street saw celebrities such as Bill Nighy, Kelly Clarkson and Ashley Jensen hitting the switch for the costly lights displays, while over on Oxford Street popular girl group The Saturdays drew in the crowds with a performance of their new song. With crowds estimated in the tens of thousands, the many stores on both of these streets benefited enormously from the Christmas spirit that was, literally, lighting up the city.
Yet with the current economic problems affecting the UK, the question is whether the money spent on Christmas lights is worthwhile, or whether councils should be redistributing funds to other areas. A survey taken this year found 38% of villages in England would this year be without Christmas decorations, purely because of the cost.
Robert Oxley, of the Tax Payer’s Alliance, supports councils choosing to cut back on Christmas displays. He says “It’s not about being Scrooge, but being sensible with your budgets. You get some local authorities spending tens or even a hundred thousand pounds of taxpayers’ cash on a huge switch on when they are cutting back on essential services.
“Everyone wants to enjoy Christmas and lights in town centres are often part of the festivities, but that doesn’t mean taxpayers should be left footing million pound bills just for decorations.”
Manchester councillor Pat Karney takes a different view on the Christmas lights, arguing that, while they do cost money, the economic benefits reaped by the local area more than make up for the expense.
“We believe that in the current financial climate it is more important than ever to attract shoppers and other visitors to our city centre.”
And the National Association of Local Councils insisted that councils would be trying their hardest to find money for Christmas displays, with a spokesman saying “We know that many local councils are looking to continue Christmas lighting for their community as it brings social and economic benefits for the area.”
Many local councils have arrived at a compromise, cutting down on decorations but keeping basic displays and Christmas trees in a slightly lower budget, attempt to attract shoppers to their towns. Similarly, many cities have cut costs on expensive light switch-ons by using local schoolchildren or the mayor of the town rather than paying the expensive appearance fees demanded by celebrities.
There seems to be little doubt that Christmas lights really do benefit local businesses, whether they be large chain stores or small independent retailers. Hopefully once the economic crisis abates slightly, all of Britain’s streets will once more be illuminated by festive lights, leading to a brighter Christmas for everyone.
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