New £16k Christmas lights, but no big switch-on (From The Oxford Times)

New £16k Christmas lights, but no big switch-on

10:40am Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News

WITNEY will get new £16,000 Christmas lights as town councillors look set to scrap this year’s switch on.

The council’s leisure and recreation committee agreed to replace the switch-on with a series of small events on November 29 and 30 and December 1.

Last year’s event cost the town council £38,000 and officers had recommended “scaling back” the festivities.

It had been claimed that part of the problem was the cost of security when Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron switched on the lights.

The cash, agreed at a meeting on Monday, will be spent purchasing new solar-powered lights because many of the current lights are no longer working.

Community groups will be invited to organise their own events as part of the weekend festivities, similar to the town’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations last year. The committee’s plan will need to be ratified by the full council.