It might horrify some of you, but it’s only about 12 weeks to Christmas!
South Leeds Life has recently received a handful of emails from local residents calling on the council to have lots of Christmas lights in our communities this year.
Local resident Paul Ibbotson has been calling for Dewsbury Road and other parts to be brightened by Christmas lights. He says:
“They brighten up the long winter nights in our area and have been missing for at least three years.”
The council stopped funding Christmas lights outside the city centre as a result of multi-million pound cutbacks, although in some areas local councillors and town councils have contributed to the cost of keeping them going – Yeadon is a recent example. Morley lights are usually backed by Morley Town Council.
Leeds City Council’s budget aims to cut 400 jobs this financial year
as it attempts to save £55 million.
We thought it’d be a good topic for a just-for-fun vote here on South Leeds Life. Would you like to see lots of Christmas lights in South Leeds to celebrate the festive season? Or is it just not a priority in these days of austerity? Take part in our poll below or have your say in the comments section.
[polldaddy poll=6562259]
We have been saying this for a long time, many years in fact. Many of the main roads would be fantastic, however, we feel the council now has better things to spend there budget on. They could maybe do one main road and that would be Dewsbury Road.
It’d be really nice cos sometimes you feel a bit uncared for as a community when there’s no lights up but the council should be concentrating on services like social care and street cleaning – lights are nice but they’ve got other things to spend their brass on these days.
By the way, like the poll and debate – more please South Leeds Life!
Thanks for your comments Yvonne and Irene. Interesting to see people acknowledging the financial situation the country’s in and taking a wider view.
And yes, we’ll certainly do more polls in the future.
Lights look lovely but I don’t think the Council can afford them this year due to government cuts. However, perhaps local shopkeepers on main roads could be encouraged to make really festive and imaginative Christmas displays – brighten the windows – make them sparkle – put up tinsel – paint the shutters. Could any art students get involved as a project, perhaps from our local Leeds City College sites? High school students? OK I know this needs co-ordination but maybe just a call to the retailers would have some impact. How many / if any of them subscribe to South Leeds Life I wonder and would like to take on the challenge to make winter wonderful?