UEA spent £30k on Christmas decorations this year

UEA has spent a whopping £29,970.78 on Christmas decorations this year.

A staggering £25,595.80 of that went on Christmas lights alone.

A further £4,320 was spent on decorations including the trees and wreaths covering Union House at the moment.

And if you’re wondering what your fines are going towards, the library spent £54.98 of them on more Christmas trees.

The excessive festive spending has been justified by the University. A spokesperson said: “The university purchased new decorations as part of the plans to ensure UEA is a welcoming and pleasant place for those living, working and visiting, especially over the festive season.”

They added: “This was the first significant spend on campus decorations in a number of years.

“Decorations included illuminated Christmas decorations and a reusable Christmas tree, as well as outdoor lights designed to be used for other special events and festivals, and to be enjoyed by the campus community over the next 15 to 20 years.”

The Union has also defended the University’s spending, despite currently campaigning for them to invest more money into the Student Union and the services it provides.

Opportunities and Activities Officer Yinbo Yu said: “Whilst it’s disappointing that the Union has had to reduce expenditure on student course representation this year by roughly the same amount that the Uni has spent on Christmas lights, with an overall budget of over £220m we can afford both”

Currently, £30,000 would buy you nearly ten years accommodation in Norfolk Terrace, pay 150,000 days of library late fines and get you 12,000 VKs in the LCR.

But at least campus looks pretty.