Barrhead is lagging behind in the Christmas cheer department after no plans or requests for funding were submitted for the erection of Christmas lights in Barrhead.

Businesses and residents have expressed their concern at the lack of festive cheer on the street in recent years, however other East Renfrewshire towns are leading the way as businesses band together to bring festive lighting to their towns.

And rather than waiting on council bosses to pick up the tab, shops, banks, lawyers, doctors and workshops have all taken it upon themselves to bring festive fun to their towns.

Clarkston attracted thousands to its Christmas lights switch on and firework display on Saturday, November 22, despite being just a portion of the size of Barrhead.

The Barrhead News spoke to the Clarkston Business Improvement District’s (BID) chairman Gordon Paterson about how much the lights cost local businesses.

He said: “Obviously Barrhead is next on the list for areas to get a BID and even then it is only if the businesses vote yes.

“But this has been a very good example of what can happen when businesses come together in this fashion.

“Our fee, or levy as we call it, is around £400 a year per business which gives us a pot of money to work from year on year.

“As a committee we vote through what we decide to spend this money on and this can be everything from hanging baskets and improvements on the street to advertising and marketing for the area, promoting businesses.

“We also decided to spend money on the Christmas lights and last year we bought the ex-display lights at a cost of around £13,000 and we stored them this year and simply re-installed them again this year with an installation fee of course.

“But the lights themselves have cost us nothing and it really is a great example of what can be done.” On Saturday the business improvement district in Clarkston hosted a street market and festival to mark the turning on of the lights, with stalls being erected by local businesses selling local produce, topped by a 5pm fireworks display.

By contrast, plans for Barrhead this year don’t even include a Christmas tree after the original power point was removed due to ongoing works at the Barrhead Foundry.

It is believed that the tree lights adorning the Barrhead Main Street’s trees will remain lit.