THE community group behind Helensburgh’s festive lighting display says the town centre will be graced by a tree as usual in the run up to December 25 – despite fears that the same might not be true for other communities in the area.
Lomond North councillor George Freeman contacted the Advertiser this week to express his concern, saying he had been told by Argyll and Bute Council officials that no trees would be provided to communities all over the council area this Christmas.
But the Helensburgh Festive Lighting Charitable Trust – the community group behind both the trees and festive lighting displays in Helensburgh itself – says it will not be affected by the council’s decision.
The group says it’s working on plans for the town’s tree to be put up as normal, bringing some much-needed cheer to the town centre amid fears of the impact Covid-19 restrictions could have on many local businesses.
READ MORE: Festive cheer comes to Helensburgh as Christmas lights go up
Councillor Freeman says he was told by officials in an email seen by the Advertiser that the local authority “will no longer provide Christmas trees to communities across Argyll and Bute”.
The Helensburgh Festive Lighting Charitable Trust told the Advertiser: “Our group provides all the Christmas lights and the tree for Helensburgh town centre and we receive no council funding or support for the annual display.
“We have no knowledge of any formal agreement that the local villages have with the council to supply a Christmas tree for each of them.
“The Helensburgh ‘elves’ have never been offered any such agreement and we are working on our plans for the town’s tree at the moment.”
HCC convener Norman Muir said: “The town is extremely fortunate this year in having festive lights, courtesy of the Helensburgh Festive Lighting Charitable Trust (HFLCT), although their future is financially uncertain.
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“Colquhoun Square is thus full of festive lighting brightening the scene. The absence of a tree would not be felt to such a degree as other less fortunate communities.
“I have no doubt that if there is a will to have a tree in the square, there is enough resourcefulness in the town.”
The council correspondence passed to the Advertiser continued: “Our officers are happy to engage with local communities and provide details of tree suppliers and offer advice on methodologies for installation etc.
“We hope that local groups will continue to benefit from discount/funding/in-kind contributions from suppliers and contractors making the provision of trees more sustainable.
“This has certainly been the experience with the lighting elements of the schemes and for those groups who already provide their own trees.”
In an email to the council’s new leader Robin Currie, Councillor Freeman said: “I have no doubt that when I speak to them, those communities in my ward who were expecting the council to provide a Christmas tree again this year, as had been promised by the council, will be most unhappy.
“The council took a decision that it would no longer provide Christmas lighting but confirmed that it would continue to provide Christmas trees. We have that confirmation in writing.
“Can you confirm who took this decision please? Was it the administration, the appropriate policy lead or was it council officers who ignored elected members and decided that they would go ahead and implement this cut?
“It appears that more and more decisions are being taken by council officers these days and that elected members are being ignored.”
An Argyll and Bute Council spokesperson said: “We would like to be able to do everything that our communities want us to do.
“Unfortunately, cuts to our funding mean we cannot do that and we must focus on delivering frontline services.
“In 2016 we began a three-year project to hand over Christmas lighting to community groups, who have been very successful in providing festive events.
“As of December 2019 a number of areas arranged their own community Christmas trees, often with local suppliers providing the service for free.
“Those that had their trees organised by the council understood 2019 would be the last year this support would be available.”
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