Furious residents have blasted a "Scrooge" council for putting up a "shabby" Christmas tree with barely any lights on - to save cash.<br /><br />Walsall Council announced it was trying to make a “number of savings” after identifying a potential overspend of £18million next year.<br /><br />The 30ft high Christmas tree has been erected in the town centre but it only has a "handful" of lights hanging from its branches.<br /><br />The council has refused to fund a ‘switch on’ event for the town in another cost-cutting measure.<br /><br />Local politicians and business leaders have blasted the “shabby” tree and say it is an “embarrassment”.<br /><br />Councillor Matt Ward, who represents Darlaston South, said: “It’s absolutely unbelievable.<br /><br />"Whilst other towns have light switch-ons which draw hundreds of people into the town, Walsall gets a tree that looks like it’s been dragged around the town and the lights just thrown on.<br /><br />“There is no festive cheer, as the council are planning on withdrawing Christmas light funding with a commitment from a contractor to pay for just one year.<br /><br />“Shabby trees isn’t quite the festive spirit Walsall residents deserve. <br /><br />“This doesn’t exactly give you a reason to come to Walsall to do your Christmas shopping."<br /><br />Chef Carl Hooshand, 53, from Walsall, added: “It looks like a monstrosity. <br /><br />“It’s better than nothing but I’ve got conifers in my garden shaped better than that. <br /><br />"When I first saw it I thought to myself ‘is that it?’ <br /><br />“I know everyone’s cutting back but come on, the council can surely do better than that.<br /><br />“Loads of parents walk their kids past it, it’s a shame for the children not to have the chance to enjoy a properly decorated tree.”<br /><br />Mum-of-two Jenny Howell, from Willenhall, said: “I’d actually prefer no tree than that. <br /><br />“You can barely see any of the lights. It just looks sad. <br /><br />"It can’t save the council that much money to cut the lights. It just looks cr**.”<br /><br />Furious residents also took to social media to vent their frustration at the “half dead” tree.<br /><br />One said: “I’m sick of these cheapskate councillors. Give us a proper flipping tree with LIGHTS!”<br /><br />Another remarked: “Only in Walsall can you put a Christmas tree up and make the town look even worse. I’ve seen better on bonfires!”<br /><br />The council say officials will be carrying on “quality checks” on the tree in the coming days. <br /><br />Town hall chiefs are also planning to cut its overall Christmas lights budget next year to save £40,000.<br /><br />Officials hope the lights will be provided by private companies and through sponsorship instead.<br /><br />A Walsall Council spokesperson said: "Christmas lights and a mix of permanent and cut trees have been installed and decorated across the borough in readiness for the festive season. <br /><br />“The trees provided have been selected to offer consistency previous years and final quality checks are taking place in the coming days.<br /><br />"The council does not routinely organise switch-on events and has not done so for a number of years. <br /><br />“However, we do endeavour to support community events by timetabling installations and connections around specific dates and times when asked to do so.<br /><br />"The council is looking at a number of savings proposals in advance of final budget decisions early next year. <br /><br />“These proposals include exploring the opportunity to secure corporate sponsorship of the borough’s Christmas lights, something that has worked well this year to mitigate the impact of increasing costs.<br /><br />"At this stage, no decision has been made about the future funding of Christmas lights."
