No Christmas Lights Again for Shepherd's Bush

Christmas Lights at Westfield

Uncle Scrooge would be proud of our local Council, who once again have failed to find any money to put up Christmas decorations on Shepherd's Bush Green.

Every year, Westfield puts on a sparkling display to pull in the crowds, while Shepherd's Bush Green and the surrounding streets are left with nothing to cheer the place up.

Westfield Glitters
Westfield's decorations are impressive, but the sparkle inside the UK's largest shopping mall just underscores how dowdy the shopping streets in Shepherd's Bush are by comparison.

No lights again for Shepherd's Bush?

LBHF cuts back
Just like in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and also 2014, our Council have cut back - with no seasonal decorations for Shepherd's Bush Green or the surrounding streets.

No lights, no tinsel, no Christmas Tree, nothing to mark the season and cheer the place up.

It's a real pity; under the old administration there was at least a modest effort to help our local traders compete with the glamour of Westfield, by sprucing up the lamp-posts and hanging some lights.

One local resident, Stephanie Pojak, put it this way: "I have lived in W12 for 34 years and cannot believe that Shepherd’s Bush Green has not one single Christmas decoration installed by the council people pay tax to. It’s absolutely shocking and very short sighted and mean. "

LBHF response
So what do the Council have to say? We asked them for a comment (admittedly last year), and they said it's nothing to do with them - it's all the fault of central government:

"In the context of increasing funding cuts by central Government, we have sought sponsorship from business for Christmas trees in Hammersmith and Fulham Town Centres, as well as in Shepherds Bush.

However, this year this has been unsuccessful apart from in Hammersmith. We have to make difficult decisions about how we spend money, which prioritise essential frontline services.

We too, are disappointed and will be working hard to find funding for trees in Fulham and Shepherds Bush in future years. " 

No money? Here's a solution
Actually, our Council has lots of easy ways they could raise money, if they really wanted to. Here is just one suggestion: sell off the Cecil French Collection of Pre-Raphaelite art, that sits in storage with no prospect of ever being on permanent display. It would raise tens of millions, and no-one in the Borough would even notice.

The Shepherd's Bush Blog offers a personal view on life in Shepherd's Bush. If you would like to contribute a story about our neighbourhood, email us at shepherdsbushblog(at)gmail.com.