Council leader explains why this sign is staying put

The Christmas street decorations in the city of Ripon have prompted much comment on social media because of a mistake in the word ‘Christmas’.

When the metal sign went up people noticed that the A was the wrong way round and some were very critical of the council saying it gave a bad impression to visitors to the city.

But the leader of Ripon City Council, Andrew Williams, says they have no plans to remove it and there is a very good reason for it staying where it is, above High Skellgate.

Cllr Williams told YorkMix Radio: “The sign has been manufactured by our new contractors who are a Social Enterprise company linked to Bradford Council. They employ people with disabilities and learning difficulties.

“What has happened means of course, the sign looks slightly unusual.

“We took the view that whilst not perfect, it does nonetheless reflect the work of an important part of our society.

“We felt that it was just not appropriate to simply have the sign taken down.

“People can easily understand the message and it’s clear it’s Christmas and I think most people will agree it’s a very impressive piece of work.

“We will fix the mistake next year.”