Tipperary council advises communities to cut the hours Christmas lights are on this year
A senior council official has urged community and business groups to reduce the hours that Christmas lights are turned on in Carrick-on-Suir and other towns in Carrick Municipal District during the festive season this year due to soaring energy costs.
Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District’s Director of Services Brian Beck issued the appeal to the business and community organisers of Christmas lights at the latest monthly meeting of the district’s councillors in Carrick-on-Suir Town Hall.
He made his comments after Mullinahone councillor Kevin O’Meara called on the council to support the cost of Christmas lights in communities around the district similar to the way the authority was supporting retailers.
The council has previously given grants to communities in the district to assist them with the cost of their Christmas lights.
Cllr O’Meara said he knew the organisers of the Christmas lights for Fethard had problems with bills and he urged the council to give them and other towns some support “rather than seeing all the towns in darkness this Christmas”.
Mr Beck responded that no one in the council wanted to see the Christmas lights turned off and the local authority was encouraging any groups doing Christmas lights to review the hours they have the lights on.
“Do they need to be turned on all night,” he asked. “If you can cut back on the hours the lights are turned on when no one is around it can save money.”
Mr Beck indicated that once groups got their house in order in terms of energy conservation, the council could look at providing additional resources for Christmas lights.
Councillors received information at the meeting on the council’s Christmas Retail Support Scheme, which is providing grants to groups in towns and villages to roll out events and activities designed to increase or retain spending in Tipperary’s towns and villages during the festive season.
Tipperary County Council’s Community & Economic Development Section is running the scheme and is inviting grant applications from chambers of commerce, community groups, craft markets, farmers’ markets and traders associations.
The closing date for applications is this Friday, October 7.
Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District is, meanwhile, running a Christmas Season Window Display grants scheme to encourage local competition and generate interest in Christmas window displays in shops in the district’s towns and villages.
Councillors were informed that successful applicants will be offered a €100 grant on a first-come-first-served basis to cover the cost of creating “imaginative and appealing” window displays to encourage more footfall from shoppers in the run up to Christmas.
Any business wishing to apply for the grant can register by emailing: [email protected].
Carrick-on-Suir Cllr David Dunne told the meeting the Christmas Window Display grants scheme was a great initiative and he wished to echo Mr Beck’s comments in relation to Christmas lights.