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17
Apr
Ripon accused of ‘squandering’ £10,000 on Christmas lights
Ripon City Council is to spend another £10,000 on extending its Christmas lights.
The city has one of the most impressive festive lights displays in North Yorkshire.
The city council allocated £45,000 on Christmas lights in its 2026/27 budget, up £3,500 on the previous year.
At a meeting on Monday (April 13) councillors from the majority Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group approved a £10,000 quotation for further lighting on Queen Street, North Street and in the hospital car park.
They say the lights bring seasonal joy and boost trade by encouraging people into the city centre.
But opposition councillors criticised the move.
Cllr Pauline McHardy, a Liberal Democrat, said she was “perturbed” by the decision.
She added:
Is this really what we raise council taxes for when people can’t even afford food and rent — squandering money like this? We already have a wonderful display of Xmas lights. This council is becoming very good at spending money unnecessarily. It’s not our money. It belongs to the people out there.
Christmas decorations in Ripon.
Cllr Stuart Flatley, a member of the Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group, replied:
“We've got to spend money to keep people coming to this lovely little city of ours. This creates footfall and pleasure for people. I don’t know what the fuss is about.”
Vitality of the city centre
The amount Band D council tax households in Ripon pay to fund Ripon City Council went up from £79.70 in 2025/26 to £81.78 in 2026/27.
Cllr Andrew Williams, who leads the Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group, said the 2.6% increase was less than the rate of inflation. He added:
So let’s stop this nonsense that this council is making people starve with its precept level. It’s bull muck.
The quality and extent of our Christmas lights display is, comparatively, second to none across North Yorkshire and they act as a major draw and incentive for people to come to the city. They enhance the look of the city enormously at Christmas and help to bring trade into the city at the most important time of the year for many retailers. This is a small investment, comparatively, for ensuring the vitality of the city centre.
Unaligned Independent Cllr Julie Ann Martin-Long acknowledged the lights looked good but said she would vote against the extra spending: “There are some people in our city who can’t even put their lights on in their own property," she said.
Earlier in the meeting, the Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group voted to discontinue the council's £2,109 annual subscription to the membership body Yorkshire Local Councils Association, which provides legal advice and training to parish councils.
Cllr Barbara Brodigan, a Liberal Democrat, said it “beggars belief that the council would spend £10,000 on Christmas lights and not £2,000 on not protecting our staff”.
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