Lights will return despite gloom

Walsall Illuminations will return next year despite visitor numbers plunging to an all-time low, council bosses vowed today.

The local authority lost around £120,000 this year, with 111,000 people attending. But the results have not deterred Walsall Council aiming to turn things around next year.

It says it will introduce a host of mystery measures to revive the flagging event.

Councillor Louise Harrison, cabinet member for leisure and culture, said: "The Illuminations this year moved from running across six weeks to five weeks. Our weekly attendance rate rose by 9.6 per cent from 20,833 last year to 23,400 this year.

"However, the overall attendance figure is down from 120,000 to 111,000.

"It's clear the credit crunch and the onset of the recession have had a major impact on what we spend money on and the Illuminations have not escaped that.

"The event opened to headlines of the worst economic turbulence for 70 years with banks crashing and fears for job losses. There is no doubt this has had an effect."

The council last year admitted making a mistake when it took "bold" advice from consultants who decided the event should be moved away from its traditional slot in the calendar.

The consultants, who charged £20,000 for their services, came up with plans to run the extravaganza for six weeks from mid October to December in a bid to cash in on Christmas, Halloween and Diwali.

But after running up a staggering £214,000 loss in 2007 when it attracted 120,000 visitors, this year's event reverted to the traditional run from the end of September until the start of November.

In its heyday in 1989 377,000 people flocked to the Illuminations. While the Illuminations will take place in 2009, it is expected it will not be held in 2010 and 2011 while the Arboretum gets a major makeover.