A Greens councillor has criticised the expense of Christmas celebrations in Sydney's eastern suburbs, raising concerns about their 'environmental impact' and suggesting a 'multicultural' alternative.

Rafaela Pandolfini highlighted that Randwick Council's budget for Christmas trees, lights, and wreaths amounts to $524,725 this year. She proposed redirecting $300,000 of this towards creating a multicultural festival that would be inclusive for locals of various faiths.

“Half a million is an astronomical amount of money to be spending on decorations and wreaths when not everyone recognises or celebrates Christmas,” Pandolfini told media.

She also pointed out the environmental cost, noting that “Christmas decorations go up and down for a couple of weeks.”

Pandolfini claimed that she never suggested banning the annual celebrations, questioning the necessity of such high expenditure given the current economic climate.

“It’s money that doesn’t need to be spent given the cost of living and the businesses that are struggling to get by,” she said.

Randwick’s festive budget has seen a significant increase from the $135,000 allocated last year, now covering various events including the popular Coogee Carols and Coogee Fireworks show. An additional $128,000 is set aside for a mayoral Christmas party, and $61,500 for local Christmas concerts.

Liberal Councillor Daniel Rosenfeld opposed any reductions to the Christmas budget, emphasising the importance of festive cheer during tough times.

“I think especially this year it will be good to have some Christmas cheer and celebration because a lot of people have been doing it tough with the cost of living crisis,” he said.

A Randwick Council spokesman defended the funding increase, stating that it will allow for more extensive and improved Christmas events across the local government area.