Scottish Councils Spent £3m On Christmas

9 January 2017, 08:07

An exclusive Capital investigation can reveal Scottish councils spent more than £3m on Christmas trees, lights and events.

Our figures show local authorities paid out at least £3,232,824 to ring in the festive season.

That figure is likely to be higher as a number of the 31 councils that responded to our information request didn't release all their costings.

Glasgow City Council was the biggest single spender, with £645,345 spent on displays and entertainment.

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: "Just over £100,000 is spent on the Christmas Lights Switch On event with the remainder spent in local communities across the city, allowing for festive cheer to be enjoyed by all.

"When it comes to shopping, Glasgow is second only to London's West End and we must ensure that the city centre remains an attractive place for shoppers and those enjoying our restaurants and nightlife.

"We spend a little over £1 per citizen in dressing every corner of the city to celebrate Christmas."

Edinburgh Council didn't release all of its costs, but still splash out £167,000 on its decorations.

South Lanarkshire Council was another big spending, forking out £322,028.

The country's cheapest Christmas was in Shetland, where 3 trees were donated by locals.