Thursday 28 November 2019
The Policy & Resources Committee, on behalf of the States of Guernsey, has supported the replacement and extension of the Christmas Lights in St Peter Port by using its delegated authority to provide £17,000 from the Capital Reserve.
This amounts to roughly a third of the total the charity has needed to raise over the past three years in addition to the £33k annual operation costs.
Deputy Gavin St Pier, President of the Policy & Resources Committee said:
'We received an application from the St Peter Port Christmas Lights charity, and they rightly pointed to the benefits the lights bring during the festive season both in terms of helping to increase footfall in Town to support the retail and hospitality sectors, but also in improving the wellbeing of Islanders by spreading some genuine Christmas cheer.'
As part of the 2018 Budget, the States agreed that the Policy & Resources Committee should have delegated authority to spend up to £250,000 from the Capital Reserve on projects from non-States organisations that benefit the Bailiwick.
As well as ensuring St Peter Port can continue to have lights in the areas where they have previously been displayed, the funding has also allowed the charity to extend the lights to Trinity Square this year.
Jax Robin, Chair & Trustee of St Peter Port Christmas Lights said:
'We're really pleased that this year, we've been able to go one further than simply maintaining and repairing the existing lights. By extending them as far as Trinity Square, we can do our bit to encourage growth and support business in that end of Town. It will make the big switch-on this weekend all the more special.'
