Christmas lights will be installed in Scarborough after the future of the festive illuminations was put in doubt over possible funding constraints.
Scarborough’s Christmas lights will be delivered under budget following the approval of a plan that was unanimously backed by local town councillors.
The coastal resort’s town council will work in partnership with Scarborough Fair, which has gifted “a significant amount of string light braids for use around the town centre”.
A £29,000 contract will see Acorn Lighting Services (Selby) test and install the infrastructure and remove the Christmas lights after the festive season.
Earlier this year, the authority set aside up to £70,000 for the provision of Christmas lights in a budget passed in January.
The Christmas lights plan covers Westborough by the station, Newborough and Eastborough, including some side streets, as well as the previously used lights at Ramshill and Falsgrave.
Reform’s Cllr Thomas Murray, town mayor, said:
“Crucially, Scarborough Town Council (STC) will own the lights. Instead of paying year after year to lease everything at increasing costs and ending up back at square one, we are building something that belongs to Scarborough and can be used again and again.
“I am particularly pleased to see councillors from across the chamber united behind it. After all, that is rather the Christmas spirit. Bringing people together and doing something positive for Scarborough.”
North Yorkshire Council will no longer pay for the festive decorations in Scarborough following the creation of the town council last year. Whitby Town Council and Filey Town Council pay for their own illuminations from precepts and other income.
Independent councillor Rich Maw said:
“A big thank you to Scarborough Fair for their contribution towards making this happen.
“North Yorkshire Council no longer provides the Christmas lights, so things may look a little different this year as the town council takes on this responsibility. Hopefully, this investment will give us a good base to build on in future years. More information soon on what’s going where.”
Scarborough Town Council said it was also working with Acorn Festive Lights to supply additional Christmas lighting for the project:
“STC will own the lights, and any lights purchased or gifted will be reused in future years wherever possible.”
Labour’s Cllr Chris Clark said:
“The council had effectively doubled the budget for the Christmas lights from previous years to £70,000, which were previously around £35,000 and some change. At the same time, the community grant budget had been cut by 62 per cent, with the claim that the two issues were unrelated.
“I strongly argued, on several occasions, that this was flat wrong. If the Christmas lights costs were genuinely as high as suggested, then the council needed to revisit them properly. It needed to work in partnership with others, look for donations, business support, grants, and any other ways of reducing the burden on residents and ratepayers.”
According to a council report, officers sought quotes from seven other HERS Registered providers but were unable to secure an alternative supplier.
This was partly due to the “unexpected transfer of responsibility” for Scarborough’s Christmas lights from North Yorkshire Council to STC, the report added.
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