Council Scrooges in Redditch Cancel Christmas

Feb 22 2009 by Paul Bradley, Sunday Mercury

COUNCIL Scrooges are set to cancel Christmas in a Midland town to save more than £1 million.

Bosses at Redditch Borough Council, in Worcestershire, have drawn up shocking plans to pull the plug on Christmas lights and decorations for the next three years.

The lights, which are paid for by the taxpayer, have proved to be a favourite over the years, bringing a festive sparkle to the outdoor market, shopping centre and streets surrounding the town’s St Stephen’s Church.

But if the plans gets the green light Redditch will be void of Christmas spirit in the busiest shopping period of the year.

Last night, the local authority was accused of being “killjoys” intent on axing the town’s most popular council-funded events.

A spokeswoman for the West Midlands branch of the