A council has sparked controversy by inviting local residents to decorate its Christmas trees themselves. Last year, Pontypool Community Council decided to replace traditional cut Christmas trees with 16 living ones, which were planted at the end of October.
The community council has provided solar powered lights for the trees but said that any further decoration is up to local residents and their community councillors. However, this approach has been criticised due to concerns about litter and potential harm to pets and wildlife from unapproved decorations.
Giles Davies, who represents Abersychan on Torfaen Borough Council, questioned what measures are in place to address potential issues arising from residents placing their own decorations on trees. He said: “I don’t want to sound like a Scrooge but my concern is what happens when the decorations blow away? People can call me miserable but it’s not about that, it’s about doing the right thing.”
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The independent councillor shared a photo of a tree at Varteg bus terminus where plastic baubles had been blown off the branches and some had broken. “If you do any research you’ll see that decorations affect wildlife, noise from tinsel can put birds off going to an area and it can be dangerous to dogs and if plastic baubles break it is brittle plastic and that can cause injuries,” he said.
Baubles on the floor that have fallen from the living Christmas tree planted at Varteg bus terminus. -Credit:Supplied
Councillor Giles Davies with some decorations on the tree that he considers to be unsuitable -Credit:Supplied
The councillor said he isn’t convinced tying decorations to trees with string will work. “What happens if a dog or a hedgehog eats the decorations or someone puts glass on there? What monitoring is taking place, I don’t think it’s been thought through.”
He has previously disagreed with the decision not to use cut Christmas trees. Davies argued certain tree locations, such as the tree at Talywain, might pose risks since the trees are situated in areas often visited by dog walkers and also positioned on slopes. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter
Further doubts were cast by Cllr Davies regarding whether the newly planted trees were an improvement and whether it would be possible to decorate them as they continue to grow. However, despite his criticisms, the community groups have taken part in events to decorate them. Pontypool Community Council leader Councillor Gaynor James chose not to comment on Cllr Davies’ remarks.