Rye Town Council meets next Monday to decide whether the town’s streets can be lit up for Christmas this year – as pictured above during a previous Christmas.
The Christmas in Rye team of volunteers has been seeking a £5,000 grant from the council for installing the lights to support this year’s “Toyland” festival on Saturday December 9 from 11am until late.
However councillors put off a decision at an earlier meeting because they were not sure how much they could afford. The forthcoming council agenda on Monday, November 13 includes the draft budget for 2018-19.
A previous council meeting heard that the volunteers’ big problem was success. The number of lights to be put up around town has grown and grown as a result of fundraising, entering lighting competitions, and other ventures.
So the cost of putting up (and taking down) the lights keeps going up and it is a complex and demanding, specialist job in a historic town with a wide range of (possibly historic) cabling and electrical fittings.
At the previous meeting the council was generally supportive of the application, but the actual amount possible was uncertain as the council would have to dip into reserves.
Photo: Rye News Library
Image Credits: John Minter .
My only plea is that they are not on for the bonfire fireworks. The ordinary streetlights spoil the display because of glare. The strings of American style lights would ruin any view of fireworks.
I looks as though the matter won’t be discussed until next week so all is probably well.