Gloomy outlook for lights
Walsall Illuminations made a loss of £140,000 this year as the number of people visiting the event plunged to a 10-year low, early predictions indicate.Walsall Illuminations made a loss of £140,000 this year as the number of people visiting the event plunged to a 10-year low, early predictions indicate. Attractions have also been attacked by experts hired by the council to help overhaul the event. They claim several of the features are too similar and "the experience quality is poor across all age groups". While declaring it good value for children they say it is "very poor value for adults" and in marketing terms it is viewed as the poorer cousin of Blackpool Illuminations.
Attractions have also been attacked by experts hired by the council to help overhaul the event. They claim several of the features are too similar and "the experience quality is poor across all age groups".
While declaring it good value for children they say it is "very poor value for adults" and in marketing terms it is viewed as the poorer cousin of Blackpool Illuminations.
Walsall Council executive director Jamie Morris said: "The final outturn figure for the 2006 event will not be available until March 2007.
"However, indications at this stage suggest that as attendance figures have been lower than expected in 2006, there is likely to be an estimated shortfall of £140,000.
"There is widespread acknowledgement that Walsall Illuminations is an event in slow decline."
The lights show has recorded a deficit once in the previous five years - £51,432 in 2004 when attendances slumped to 163,000. The biggest profit in recent times - £39,788 - was in 2005.
This year's attendance of £157,000 has been described as one of the worst in living memory, with leisure chiefs accepting that the 140-year-old event is in need of a revamp.
Four ideas have been put forward by Walsall Council to overhaul the show - invest in new attractions over the next five years, which is the preferred option; doing nothing; not running the event for one year to develop the proposals further; and a capital investment to overhaul the lights show in just one year.
The council's neighbourhood and resources scrutiny panel will discuss the options on Thursday. The decision on how to move the event forward will be made by the council's cabinet on December 20.
By Emma Tate