Christmas lights contest scrapped (From Barry And District News)

Christmas lights contest scrapped

BARRY Town Council has voted to scrap its annual Christmas light competition in a bid to encourage residents to economise on household fuel payments.

Plaid Cymru councillor Shirley Hodges suggested abolishing the contest at a meeting of the council on Monday night.

Cllr Hodges felt that the competition would negate the council's recent pledge to promote Fair Trade products, because it encourages residents to use more electricity, thus burning more fossil fuels and increasing the amount of dangerous'greenhouse' gases in the atmosphere.

She said: "With climate change, hundreds of millions of people - particularly the world's poorest and most vulnerable - will be put at severe risk of drought, floods, starvation and disease."

Cllr Hodges also hoped that by discouraging residents from decorating their homes with strings of brightly coloured lights, people will save money.

She said: "While the council had the best of intentions in encouraging participation in the Christmas lights competition, it is becoming quite clear that many households cannot afford to join in."

Plaid Cymru councillor Nic Hodges added: "The idea of having a competition was very good, but it has had its time and its place.

"When I see people saying'I'm doing this for my grandchildren', and they're spending their winter fuel payments on it, I become really concerned.

"There are plenty of alternatives, such as banners."

Labour councillor Anthony Williams suggested providing a Christmas lights display at King Square as an alternative, but Cllr Hodges said she felt this was moving the problem elsewhere.

Town Mayor Theo Stenstrom said that while certain areas of the town were decorated "better than ever before", such as Elizabeth Avenue and Barrians Way, he understood why people did not want to take part in a competition.