People have expressed their disgust at a Christmas tree being scrapped from council funding for this year.

The £3,000 tree, which is erected on George Green in Wanstead on the last Friday of November every year, will no longer be funded by Redbridge council.

Each year the Mayor of Redbridge attends a ceremony, along with hundreds of schoolchildren, to turn on the Christmas lights in Wanstead, but without funding this will not go ahead.

Local Conservative councillors have set up a crowd-funding page and it has already reached over £2,000 since Thursday.

Today the Guardian took to the streets of Wanstead to gauge residents’ opinions about the move by the council.

Tony Smith, 53, of the Hermitage Estate in Snaresbrook Road, said: “It is a disgusting decision to scrap a traditional feature of Wanstead.

“I’m sure the council picks up millions of pounds in fines and tax and it can’t fund a £3,000 tree? But no the local community has to pick up the bill.

Ken MacLean, 65, of Chesnut Drive, said: "I have lived here for 24 years and it has always been here every year, it is pretty poor from this council.

“This is just the way everything is going, people have to pay for everything nowadays and it is really sad.”

Sheila Vickers, 89, of Fitzgerald Road, said: “It is very sad that it may not be here this year, what else is the council going to give up in Wanstead.

“It is just a lovely event when the lights are turned on, children come and sing carols, it really would be sad if this is taken away and the children would be upset.”

Christina Harvey, 39, of Overton Drive, said: "The Christmas tree is an essential thing in Wanstead and I was excited to take my baby along this year after living here for eight years.

“It makes Wanstead feel like a community, I used to live in Stratford and that never had anything like this at all."

Andy Francis, 63, currently lives in Stapleford Abbots, in Essex, but grew up in Fitzgerald Road in Wanstead and still visits the area.

He said: “The Christmas tree goes back a long time, I remember it from the 60s when I was growing up.

“I am worried this may set a precedent and mean the council never funds it again.”

Neil Fraser, 50, currently lives in Ongar, in Essex, but his grandparents used to live in Dangan Road, Wanstead.

He said: "I used to visit my grandparents in the 70s when they lived here and it hasn’t changed at all.

“I am really glad the community is doing something about it because any gathering of people is positive for the area, you like to see a Christmas tree in a high street.”

Wes Streeting, deputy leader of Redbridge council, responded to criticism by saying the decision to take funding away was purely financial, but backed the campaign to raise money.

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