Bradford Council has issued a set of guidelines warning staff not to stick, pin or nail Christmas decorations to council buildings. Whilst critics and opposition councillors have blamed health and safety for this move, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has actually stated that nothing in the guidelines relates to health and safety issues.
The Council has taken this measure in order to help save money on the fresh paint and wallpaper needed to repair any damage caused by Christmas decorations attached to walls. In addition, it has requested that any Christmas lights used in its buildings are low energy lights, which is more of an environmental consideration than safety.
A Council spokesperson said that the 'decoration regulations' were all about saving money and ensuring that lighting is environmentally friendly, although there is a desire to ensure that the equipment used is also safe to use. "Staff can and do decorate their workplace for Christmas and other events like the Olympics and the World Cup. To make sure that we don't have to keep spending money on fresh paint or wallpaper we ask that staff come up with imaginative ways to display their Christmas spirit without the use of sticky tape and nails. Also, we want people to respect the environment by using low energy bulbs and make sure that electric equipment used in our building is safe."
Leader of Bradford Council, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, said the measures were not a political matter, but austerity meant that they had to save money. She said that a council officer had circulated the notice, adding: "Obviously we want staff to enjoy Christmas. Having worked very hard this year they absolutely deserve it. It sounds to me that an officer is just trying to look after the building to make sure we don't have to do another paint job. In this time of austerity everybody is obviously trying to look after the pennies."
