A CHRISTMAS market in Deeside which cost more than £6,500 to host has been branded a “total disaster”.
The cost of staging the one-day event in Connah’s Quay and Shotton – which drew 500 visitors – included £49 on mince pies, £500 for a DJ and £1,320 on the hire of reindeer and a sleigh.
Connah’s Quay councillor Bernie Attridge says the occasion was made worse by a lack of advertising and windy weather.
“This so-called Christmas market was the biggest waste of public money I have ever seen,” he told the Leader.
“Families are struggling to heat their homes and feed their children and here is Flintshire Council forking out £6,500 for a market.”
Flintshire Council paid Prestatyn-based Coya Marketing £2,500 for organising the event, but Cllr Attridge believes the authority should have utilised its own staff for the job.
He added: “I still would like to know why we are engaging consultants when we have experts in Flintshire that could have used that £2,500 to do a better job.”
The total cost of the December 9 event was £6,648 and also included £150 on festive lights, £77 on fencing hire and £1,038 on marketing material.
The costings came to light after Cllr Attridge made a request to environment director Carl Longland for a detailed breakdown of the figures.
A spokesman for Flintshire Council said: “The Connah’s Quay and Shotton Christmas event, agreed in liaison with the town partnerships and town councils, was disrupted by forecasts of exceptionally high winds and had to be scaled down to a few Christmas stalls in Connah’s Quay Civic Hall.
“Unfortunately this meant nearly all the main attractions, including an outdoor Christmas market, a regular market, a fun fair and live musical entertainment had to be cancelled at short notice.
“The company providing the Christmas market stalls were concerned about the high winds and the potential risks so a decision was made to relocate the stalls into the Civic Hall.
“Regular market traders who cancelled said they could cope with cold weather, but wet and windy weather were the worst conditions for them, as their goods are likely to get spoilt.
“The market stalls in the Civic Hall attracted in the region of 500 people over the course of the day.”