A fund supporting Carols by Candlelight events is not keeping up with demand with five of the 20 groups applying to Hume City Council for support missing out.
The Event Grant Program has an annual budget of $290,000. However, the program has been oversubscribed for the past two years, and Sunbury is among those to have missed out on funding.
The gap between demand and funding came to light following a request by Cllr Naim Kurt that council hold a Carols by Candlelight event in the southern part of the city in addition to the one it organises every year at Craigieburn’s Anzac Park.
“Since Christmas carols have been moved to Anzac Park we actually haven’t had a carols event happen in the south of the city since about 2013,” said Cllr Kurt at a Monday 24 February meeting of the council.
“We can hopefully see a small carols event happening in the West Meadows precinct that supports the local businesses there.”
A report shows the cost of a second council-run Carols by Candlelight show would cost ratepayers $70,000.
Council staff suggest the amount be added to the Event Grant Program budget in the next financial year starting July.
