Hanley shops to be asked to pay for Christmas lights
TRADERS and businesses are being asked to pay for Hanley's Christmas lights to help cut costs for the cash-strapped city council.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council currently spends about £40,000 installing and powering Christmas lights in the city centre.
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The Christmas lights in Hanley last year. The city council wants to remove the cost by asking businesses to pay for or sponsor the lights this year.
But the authority wants to remove the cost by asking businesses to pay for or sponsor the lights as it looks to save £21 million in 2013/14.
Talks over the issue are being held between council officials and city centre traders at a private meeting today.
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The move comes two years after the council stopped funding Christmas lights in Burslem, Tunstall, Stoke, Fenton and Longton to save £84,000-a-year.
Hanley trader Anthony Turner, who runs Terraces Menswear, in Piccadilly, said: "Given the amount of rates we have to pay each year, surely the council can put their hands in their pockets just once a year to help jazz the place up a bit? They want to spend £55 million to build a new civic centre in Hanley, so I'm sure they can afford a few light bulbs."
Scott Minshull, aged 31, who runs The Traditional Barbers, in Piccadilly, said: "The Christmas lights should be paid for in full by the council. We have to pay enough as it is with business rates and rubbish collections, as well as spending a fortune just to park our cars.
"If it came down to it I think businesses would be willing to pay for Christmas lights, but it's the last thing we want."
The council's financial contribution to public events is already under review – including payments of up to £175,000 a year to pay for a Potteries leg of the Tour of Britain cycle race.
Doug Wardle, chairman of the City Centre Partnership traders' group, said: "We are aware of the council's difficulties and are currently considering the issue."
The £40,000 budget for Hanley's lights is separate to the cost of the annual switch-on event, which last year featured Stoke City boss Tony Pulis and Olympian Imran Sherwani. The switch-on event is already part-funded by traders.
Councillor Mark Meredith, cabinet member for economic development, said: "The council is consulting with businesses in the city centre on how Christmas lights are to be funded from 2013 onwards. A meeting will be held between retailers on the City Centre Partnership and representatives from the council to consider various options."
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by abigaileggy
Thursday, February 14 2013, 3:09PM
“As a business trader in Hanley, this makes me laugh, consultation really??? You can't even inform us traders that you're blocking access to our business's yet again :-( You certainly haven't consulted with every trader about this. Or even asked for an opinion. But hey why bother because we didn't get any Christmas lights anyways. Does make me wonder actually what my business rates covers and why I pay it??? Business traders have to pay for bins to be removed, so that's out. Parking's a joke, None of my disabled customers can get even close to my premises anymore. I really hope this £15 million bus station brings in trade. Because each day there's less and less inviting people to come into town :-( xx”
by spudder56
Thursday, February 14 2013, 8:38AM
“by cassie45Wednesday, February 13 2013, 5:46PM
"HOW CAN THE COUNCIL BE CASH STRAPPED WHEN THEY ARE SPENDING £50 MILLION ON NEW
STUPID COUNCIL OFFICES WHICH THE PEOPLE OF STOKE ON TRENT DONT WANT. BUT WILL NO DOUBT END UP PAYING FOR."
Make no mistake about Pezzers Palace is on its way and what with all the businesses he says are going to follow him to Hanley there will be no unemployment in Stoke whatsoever THE MAN IS DELUDED and obviously either incompetent or a con man its one or the other GO NOW PEZZER AND TAKE YOUR GRUBBY GANG WITH YOU WE DONT WANT ANY OF YOU HERE YOU ARE FINANCIALLY AND MORALLY BANKRUPT just a tax and spend regime for their own ends prove you have some morals and go today
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by PlayboyLeaLea
Thursday, February 14 2013, 12:54AM
“eurgh, im working on the 23rd.... or else i'd be right there.... joke council... you are ar$eholes end of!!!”
by I_Norris
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 11:20PM
“If enough people turn upto the March and show they are prepared to take action, then that must be the basis for a boycott.
Once people start uniting and showing strenght then and only then could a boycott work”
by johnarc
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 10:23PM
“The function of any local authority is to provide ESSENTIAL services for its residents. Christmas lights do not fall into this category. The other five towns no longer have Christmas lights provided by the City Council. Time for Hanley to fall in line.”
by Fazzer55
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 10:02PM
“Oh my goodness. Another pile of lies by the labour-run city council. Of course they must save some money to give themselves and the chief executive a lovely big fat pay rise so they can be even more patronising to us, the poor souls who pay for their huge wages and enormous houses.”
by Redpitlad
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 8:58PM
“Shouldn't they be called Winterfest lights...don't want to upset the minority's.”
by Robnoxious
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 8:14PM
“Perhaps someone should start organising it to see what the strength of feeling is to a boycott of council tax. I personally agree with it, as a last resort. But it needs to be there as an option. This council is not for listening and i agree with smithy1980 and his reasoning. They all need to go,and that is a problem of their own making by not listening to the people they are supposed to represent and blindly following their leader. In fear of speaking out and the consequences of that. Some might say being bullied into submission. But now they have all been tarnished, their integrity in tatters. Never to be trusted again. The question to ask yourself is, If you could wipe the debt off and start with a clean slate, would you want these people in charge to take us forward, with our interests at the at the heart of them. Can we trust them? If we have not got trust, we have nothing, is where we are standing today and we should be prepared to take action. We are paying their wages, we should have the power to say, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GO.”
by adpadp
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 6:57PM
“Using the Council's "logic": the Council should pay for the Christmas lights (not Winterval) in order to attract shoppers and tourists into the town centre just like they think that the Council moving in to the CBD will attract other businesses to move in.”
by cassie45
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 5:46PM
“HOW CAN THE COUNCIL BE CASH STRAPPED WHEN THEY ARE SPENDING £50 MILLION ON NEW
STUPID COUNCIL OFFICES WHICH THE PEOPLE OF STOKE ON TRENT DONT WANT. BUT WILL NO DOUBT END UP PAYING FOR.”