WINSFORD Christmas Street Festival will now be the sole responsibility of the town council, members have declared.

Since 2009, hundreds of residents have gathered as a lantern parade, fireworks display, live music, entertainment and stalls celebrate the switch-on of the town's Christmas lights.

In the past, the town council has teamed up with various organisations and individuals to organise the festivities as a partnership.

Local churches, Harry Sharland, Cheshire Police and Winsford Cross Shopping Centre are among supporters who have been involved.

The overall budget has been around £6,000 a year, with the town council providing £1,000 through grants. However, most of the funding has been provided by Cheshire West and Chester Council's members budgets.

CWAC has now reviewed the event as part of its overall responsibility for events in the area and requested that one single organisation should be responsible for it in future.

Councillors pledged their continued support for the festival at a Town Council meeting last week.

This year's festival will be held on Friday, November 29.

Town Council clerk Mark Bailey, who has chaired the organising committee since 2017, said: "CWAC was ultimately responsible for the festival. Now, they are advising us that one organisation should take the lead and the risk if anything goes wrong.

"One organisation will be responsible for everything.

"The Town Council is the only realistic organisation that could take this responsibility on. We will have to look at alternative sources of funding such as sponsorship.

"It will become a committee of the Town Council."

Councillors unanimously agreed to take over responsibility for the festival.

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Representatives from other organisations will be invited to join the committee.

Last year's festival cost £6,035 and the bill for a real Christmas tree was £1,000.