Skint councils blasted for spending thousands on celebrity switch-ons

Ever wondered why your recycling hasn’t been collected for weeks, the pavements are loaded with dog poo and the roads are riddled with potholes?

Well, apparently it’s all the fault of celebrities.

Skint councils have been blasted in a new report for splashing out thousands of pounds enlisting celebrities to turn on their festive lights – while frontline services are slashed.

Freedom of Information requests have revealed that Medway Council in Kent spent a whopping £6000 on “licensed costume characters” including The Snowman, Bob the Builder and some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the big switch on.

That’s a lot of money for a few blokes dressed up in furry costumes.

Barnsley Council splashed out £3295 for Paw Patrol characters and another £1000 for X Factor star Sam Lavery to flick a switch – which is frankly a bit of an insult to poor old Sam, isn’t it?

The Sun reports that Chorley Council paid The Voice winner Kevin Simm £2000 to turn up, and countless other councils have spent hundreds on lookalikes and tribute acts, a move that the right-wing thinktank The Taxpayer’s Alliance called “wasteful.”

And it seems the problem isn’t just restricted to Christmas time, either. Oldham council is under fire for paying CBeebies Mr Bloom £3,600 to appear at a flower festival last year.

A council spokersperson dismissed the criticisms, saying: “The appearances attracted thousands of visitors into the town centre, providing a huge boost for local traders and businesses, and also helping to put a smile on the face of residents.”

So it seems the jury’s still out. Perhaps the celebrities could be persuaded to put on a hi-vis jacket and do a shift on the bin round before the big switch on to compensate?