Peterborough council's plea to 'save Christmas' as it warns lights event won't happen without local help

Peterborough City Council has asked businesses to 'save Christmas' in the city
-Credit: (Image: Cambridge News)


The annual Christmas switch-on event in Peterborough will not happen this year if businesses do not help out, according to a plea by Peterborough City Council. The budget agreed by councillors for the current financial year included a commitment to secure sponsorship for the cost of the event, the Christmas tree and the installation of the lights, which comes to £56,000. A council spokesperson said it has been trying to secure sponsorship for months and has so far attracted £34,000, leaving £22,000 left to find.

Councillor Mohammed Jamil, Deputy Leader of Peterborough City Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Governance, said: "The pressure on local government is immense and there is simply not enough money to meet demand. In adult social care, we received 2,580 new requests for support in the last 12 months.

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"The number of children subject to a care plan has doubled since last year and the number of people coming to the council for housing support as they’re homeless rose 40 percent in the past three years. The demand is rising and we simply cannot keep pace with the budget that we have available.

"If we makeup the shortfall in the budget for Christmas, it will mean that our in-year budget deficit is even higher, and we cannot allow that to happen. We have said as an administration that we will make difficult decisions to meet our financial challenge.

"If you are a business and would like to sponsor the event, please let us know. By doing so, you might be helping to save Christmas in Peterborough city centre."

Peterborough City Council's overspend in the current financial year is around £11 million, while its predicted budget gap in 2025/26 is between £13 million and £24 million. Businesses interested in sponsoring can email communications@peterborough.gov.uk.