I don't mean to sound ungrateful but I was rather underwhelmed with Lewisham Council's Christmas lights this year in Sydenham. A bit insipid - when you compare them with Penge (I know it's a different borough), but their lights are so cheerful, bright and sparkling.
Have seen some really lovely lights in our travels around and about this Christmas but Sydenham's looked like they were a 'job lot' thrown together at the last minute. I know times are hard and there's a lot of belt tightening going on but really - when we are ursurped in the Christmas decoration department by Penge - well - must try harder!!
I know the Xmas budget was cut this year at the Council and the Mayor decided just to spend it all on Mince Pies ........................he scoffed the bloody lot!
The lights are absolutely dismal. I seem to remember (although I may be wrong) that there were some new lights last year that were rather nice, replacing the mismatched coloured stars we had for about ten years. What happened?
Do the council pay for the lights or local traders?
I'm fairly sure that it's the Council that pays for the lights, since there isn't really a local traders' association as such. There is a group called the Sydenham Town Centre Steering Group which is acknowledged here by Chris Best as helping with organising this year's Hallowe'en event on the High Street, even though the notices referred to "Sydenham Traders" and indicated sponsorship from the Co-op.
I guess it is better that spending is reduced on Christmas lights than essential services given the current economic climate. Bromley is a richer borough and maybe has different spending priorities.
I believe Bromely put in a bid for Christmas lights with the Outer London Fund. Sydenham didn't.
It's not just down to the council. I think we have now got to get out of this 'well the council haven't bothered' mentality. It's up too steering groups, traders, residents groups, trading associations etc to work with the council to provide things like this together and our local councilors to fight for these things. Most council funding comes from central government, not from council tax. This will not increase much, if at all now the cuts are in place.
We have to get used to this, the slower we realize this the more Sydenham will fall behind. Hopefully our businesses will invest in our local economy and realize it's an investment worth making. My little from home business donated 70 childrens books to Sydenham Library for Christmas. We can all do our bit. But as I keep saying, for Sydenham road we need a strong traders association and a strategy for how it needs to adapt over the coming years rather than just being a hodge podge of stuff going on and filling empty shops with anything willing to pay the rent.
What do we want our Christmas lights to be? Why not use this forum to come up with some ideas? What about the window displays in the shops (which lets face it, overall were pretty awful this year (Billings probably had the best one and it's a fishmonger/butchers!).
How about local artists and creatives working with local shops to improve the lights or putting forward a presentation to improve them. That's how we got decent signage on some of our shops and many improvements to our parks.
For what it's worth, I really like the lights. Personal taste, I guess.
But leenewham is right, we have to get over the 'well the council haven't bothered' mentality and we need a strong traders association. With that in mind, Sydenham Road has something to learn from 'Kirkdale Village', where businesses have got together and sought to promote that area: http://www.facebook.com/kirkdalevillage http://kirkdalepopup.here-there.net/
Driving through Forest Hill today, I noticed their lights look remarkably like the ones Sydenham had last year. Is there a rota for the good lights?
Personally, I always think the 'string of bulbs wrapped round the lampost' style of Christmas lights is so half-hearted, it gives the impression of an area that has just given up. I'd rather have no lights at all.
I agree - I thought we had much better lights last year and also those just 'draped around a lamppost' ones are truely miserable. I too was wondering if it was Sydenham's turn to have the dodgy lights this year. If that's all we can get because of cuts, etc then would rather they didnt bother next Christmas.
I work for a neighbouring borough who have also had to take cuts and apply 'efficiencies' but stll the lights were good. I am not of the opinion that local councils should supply everything for the community - as I fully appreciate how hard it is to balance the budgets at the end of the financial year. I think on the whole, Lewisham do an excellent job especially given the current contstraints.
I'm glad someone posted about this. I thought it was just a borough thing until I saw Forest Hill's.
My kids loved the ones in Penge (which were similar to Forest Hill's) - far more magical.
Please don't say Sydenham's were cut back because of spending on the Mosaic - which has come from the community fund, which if I remember rightly funds things like the xmas lights.
