Christmas tree installation that cost £4,000 splits opinion in Cardigan
ITV Wales' Lewis Rhys Jones reports from Cardigan.
A new Christmas tree installation which cost £4,000 has split opinion in Cardigan.
The tree-shaped structure features metal poles which have lights running up and down them.
It has been placed outside the Ceredigion market town’s Grade II-listed Victorian Guildhall, which functions as an art gallery and community centre.
The installation has split opinion, with some claiming it's not worth the fee, while others acknowledge the need to reduce carbon footprint.
Cardigan Town Council said it's part of cost-cutting measures which will help save the authority £1,000 a year as the structure can be reused.
The local town council has also argued that cutting and transporting a tree every year doesn't meet its goals to reduce its carbon footprint.
A spokesperson for the council said: "The annual Christmas budget is set in January and varies between £5,000 and £10,000 every year. We are currently just over £6,000 for all of the decorations in town this year.
"It covers everything from hiring telehandlers to replacing lights as well as purchasing the lights and frame for our new tree installation. We have invested in this product, which can be easily stored and reused, because it will save us the cost of a live tree every year, an estimated annual saving of £1,000.
"There is also a pressure on councils to consider reducing their carbon footprint and to promote biodiversity and we agreed as a council that cutting and transporting a live tree every year did not support our aim to meet these guidelines."