Whilst we were all anxiously awaiting the ‘advent’ of the real Localism Bill, how many of us noticed the introduction of the Christmas (Localism in action) Regulations? Under these liberating new arrangements, Councils will, henceforth, be able to make whatever arrangements they like concerning Christmas.

Ministers argue that we have suffered greatly from a top-down approach to Christmas and are keen to ‘empower’ local people (as defined in the Localism Bill) to take their own decisions about this important mid-winter festival. It will now allow every Council to determine for itself what date to fix for Christmas Day, and to decide for itself whether public facilities should remain open or closed, and for how long.