Scarborough Town Council is facing a bill of more than £53,000 for the future provision of Christmas lights.
North Yorkshire Council will no longer procure or pay for the Christmas lights in Scarborough from next year, if a proposed budget is passed, leaving the recently created Scarborough Town Council (STC) to pick up the bill.
The change would bring Scarborough in-line with other towns on the Yorkshire Coast. Whitby Town Council and Filey Town Council already pay for their towns’ respective festive illuminations from precepts and other income.
The current annual cost of providing Christmas in Scarborough is estimated to be £53,000, excluding VAT, according to a report presented to town councillors.
At a meeting of STC’s community and place committee on Wednesday, December 17, officers said it was
“prudent to assume we’ll either have to fundraise or pay for it, as North Yorkshire Council will no longer fund them from next year if its budget is approved in February”.
Town Councillors said they were eager to continue the tradition of Christmas lights and several options, including applying for funding from Mayor David Skaith and the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, were raised as possible sources of financial support.
A High Street grant funding application is being considered for submission in January 2026 by the Chamber of Trade and Commerce.
Cllr Janet Jefferson, who is also President of the Scarborough and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce, previously spoke at an STC meeting about a potential joint funding bid for Scarborough’s Christmas lighting from December 2026 onwards.
Under normal circumstances, STC would be required to set up a procurement process open to bids from companies to either sell or rent and set up the lights.
However, the town clerk told the committee that due to the “extenuating circumstances”, including NYC ending its procurement of the lights, and the short timeline for procurement and budgeting ahead of the new financial year, there is an “option to talk to current providers to roll-over provision for next year and also start a procurement exercise for the following year”.
STC’s community and place committee agreed to set up a working group to look into the issue of providing the lights next year.
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