€15,000 to be reallocated for this Kildare town's Christmas lights
The council has agreed to reallocate €15,000 to the Celbridge Christmas Lights Committee
A sum of €15,000 is to be reallocated from the Community Innovation Fund towards financing additional Christmas lights for Celbridge, Kildare.
The move by the council follows a motion tabled by Cllr Rupert Heather (LAB) at a meeting of Celbridge-Leixlip Municipal District, held on Friday October 16 last.
Cllr Heather motioned that the funds, totalling €15,000 be reallocated to the Celbridge Christmas Lights Committee.
The one-off funding contribution is proposed to “assist the Committee in addressing legacy issues, meeting increased operational costs, and delivering additional requirements.”
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Heather appealed to the other Members for support of his motion, and explained why.
Cllr Heather told the council that if one were to tour the Christmas lights in North Kildare, from Celbridge, Leixlip, Maynooth and Kilcock, one would find that the Christmas lights on display in Celbridge were far inferior to their counterparts.
This situation, stated Cllr Heather, had arisen due to a number of reasons.
One of the reasons was as a consequence of the storms of 2025, he said, while another reason was the width of Celbridge Main Street and the challenges this posed, as well as “legacy issues.”
He said a number of people tried to address the problem, but it had become apparent that the brackets used on Celbridge Main Street need to be completely replaced.
New signs and lights were also needed, he said.
Admitting it was “an expensive business”, Cllr Heather said he was therefore asking the Members to agree to reduce the allocation under the Community Innovation Fund by €15,000 and reallocate these funds to the Celbridge Christmas Lights Committee.
This would be a one-off payment, Cllr Heather pointed out, and would result in greatly improving the standard of Celbridge's Christmas lights for years to come.
Cllr Declan Ryan said he would like to thank Cllr David Trost (FF) and Cllr Heather for their work on improving the Celbridge Christmas lights, and he seconded the motion.
Supporting the motion, Cllr Claire O'Rourke (SD) said she was “confident” that the funds would be managed in a “transparent and upright manner”, and added she was “looking forward to Christmas.”
Following discussion, it was agreed to reallocate €15,000 to the Celbridge Christmas Lights Committee.