Portsmouth Christmas lights to be given revamp after money for scheme was approved

The council’s cabinet said the investment, the money for which has been taken from contributions made by developers, would help support struggling traders over the winter.

“We are keenly aware that retail is having a hard time so Christmas and New Year is especially important,” councillor Lee Hunt, the cabinet member for resources said at Tuesday’s (September 5) cabinet meeting. “These improved festive lights add to the enjoyment for our high streets and district centres and help to attract shoppers city-wide.”

Concerns were raised in a report commissioned by the council about the condition of more than 100 of council’s lights used across the city. Alongside this, a number of the plugs used to power them were condemned. The council said 179 plugs and 130 lights would be replaced.

Each replacement connection point is estimated to cost as much as £500 and the total cost could be as high as £89,500. Replacing and repairing the lights will cost a further £32,500.

With no funding allocated in this year’s budget, the cabinet approved the city-wide portion of its Community Infrastructure Levy pot. This work will use about half of the remaining money available.

Councillors also considered the use of individual wards’ share of the levy but decided against this.

This would have seen a range of costs for each area, from more than £21,000 in Osborne Road, Palmerston Road and Marmion Road down to £600 in Drayton, due to the varying age and condition of lights across the city.

“This is extremely time sensitive, with procurement and action needing to be in place for September to enable procurement and repairs for early November when lights are installed for the season,” the cabinet report said.

Suzy Horton, the deputy leader of the council and ward councillor for Central Southsea, supported the allocation of funding, which was unanimously approved.

“I represent an area that had Christmas lights come to it a few years ago and that was done after consultation with the businesses there,” she said. “It’s sometimes difficult to quantify the impact of this but people feel there’s a different atmosphere around Christmas and traders have told us that enhances their activity.”