Kington’s Christmas lights will have a touch of ‘ooh la la’ about them this year, after a French company was employed to provide them – at a cost of £11,235.67 over three years.
Blachere Illumination UK, which has an international reputation as the leading supplier in outdoor Christmas and festive lighting, has been commissioned to light up the town for the festive season.
The town council agreed to employ the company after considering quotes from three firms.
Councillors were left with the festive lighting issue after the Chamber of Trade, which has put up the lights for 30 years, stood down. It said it could no longer take responsibility after town resident Barrington Trumper reported the lights to Herefordshire Council last year.
His complaints led to the lights being switched off – before being turned back on just in time for the festive celebrations.
At a meeting on Monday, Deputy Mayor Councillor John Grant said specialist companies had been approached for quotes to put up the Christmas lights and they had supplied quotes of £10,521, £7,885.67 and £13,128.14, with decreasing amounts for the second and third years.
Councillor Grant said the first year costs were high because they would need to pay for the infrastructure but in subsequent years the cost would be less. He said two of the three companies would allow them to pay over the three years in instalments.
“The putting up and taking down of the lights is very expensive. These lights are designed to be kept up all the time, they have been tested in many towns and cities including seaside towns,” said Councillor Grant.
He suggested that the town council agree to leave them up for the first year to save money and see how it worked, and they could always review that decision.
Councillor Tom Bounds said if they were not taken down he did not think of them as Christmas lights, but Councillor Grant said it would cost £4,000 to take them down and they would not be very noticeable if they were left up and turned off during the year.
Councillor Ros Bradbury said a task and finish group set up to consider the issue had suggested swags of lights rather than zigzags; she asked if it would make a difference to the cost. Councillor Grant said they had not been quoted for swags but they could ask the company about it.
Members agreed to commission Blachere, and to review the decision to leave the lights up all year at the end of year one.