Aberdeenshire Council last night vowed to “make sure” a town’s Christmas light switch-on goes ahead.
Residents and businesses in Ellon were dismayed when it emerged the annual festive light switch-on was cancelled, due to the town’s community’s council folding.
But now the council has said it will work with alternative groups to ensure the fun, on November 19, goes ahead.
Once Ellon Community Council numbers fell to just eight, the remaining members all resigned, leaving the future of the annual festive parade, fireworks exhibition and Christmas light show up in the air.
With the dissolution of the group, there were fears the event on November 19, would be axed.
Last night, the council’s Formartine area manager, Elaine Brown, said: “We will seek to work with alternative groups, should it be necessary, to make sure Ellon has Christmas lights this year and our door will always be open for the re-establishment of a community council.”
Owner of Better Read Books and Gifts, Bill Kelly, said the business community was keen to ensure the town didn’t lose its ho-ho-ho and became ho-hum.
Mr Kelly added: “There are actually people that come up from Stirling for the Ellon Christmas lights. Basically, anything we can do within the rules and regulations we will.
“All the businesses are going: ‘right, what can we do?’ We’ll do our best.”
President of the Ellon Rotary Club, Ian Bartlet, added its members would discuss any way the organisation might be able to help.
He said: “We are just trying to find out if we can help at all. We are positive about trying to get the lights put up, we will just have to wait and see how it pans out.
“The main thing will be to try and get the lights up and the Christmas trees.”
SNP councillors for the town, Rob Merson and Richard Thomson, have also vowed to find a way for the festivities to progress.
Last night Mr Merson said: “We’ve been greatly encouraged by the number of organisations and individuals who have come forward and volunteered their services. Hopefully, Ellon will have Christmas lights.”
Ellon and District Conservative councillor, Gillian Owen, urged anyone seeking to help re-ignite the event to get in touch with her or Liberal Democrat member, Isobel Davidson.
Mrs Owen said: “We have got a list of people who have offered to help. The will is definitely there to keep it going, and that is important.”
Last night, Aberdeenshire Council rejected claims it had “shut down” the Ellon Community Council.
Their response came as the group’s former chairman, Peter Mackie, reaffirmed restrictions had been placed on the group which made it impossible for them to organise the Christmas lights event this year.
The council’s Formartine area manager, Elaine Brown, said: “The issue of a lack of sufficient members for Ellon Community Council to operate and the failure to attract new members has been an ongoing discussion for some time.
“The recent resignations of all remaining members was of their own volition and without warning – an area manager cannot simply choose to shut down a community council, which is an elected body.
“It is these resignations which have effectively closed down the community council, at least until such time as members of the community come forward to stand for election and it achieves the minimum membership needed to operate legally.”
However, Mr Mackie said the local authority had left the group powerless and unable to function properly.
He added: “If she stops us making decisions and spending any money, then we are shut down.
“We were head down, backsides up, getting there with all our preparations for the Christmas lights. It is a lot of work. Out of the blue this came, and that was it.
“We would dearly love to see the Christmas lights go ahead. But we couldn’t spend money or make any decisions. We are transferring everything over to Aberdeenshire Council now.”
