Caister Christmas lights row sees council charged £10,000

The dispute was sparked when Norfolk County Council told parish councillors in Caister they would have to pay £10,000 to put up Christmas lights on High Street.

Every December, lampposts are decorated with luminous strings installed by local company Batchelors Electricians who provide the work free of charge.

On each occasion, Caister Parish Council has applied for and received permits from Norfolk County Council.

This year, however, County Hall told the village the work will have to be done by their own official contractor - with the job costing approximately £10,000. 

The decision has disappointed the parish council.

According to county bosses, however, last year's installation failed to meet electrical safety standards.

Kevin Wood, chairman of Caister Parish Council. (Image: Archant) READ MORE: Holt Christmas light switch on 2024 has been cancelled

Kevin Wood, parish council chairman, said: “We can’t justify spending that amount of money. 

"We’re very disappointed with the result. There is a lot of anger about this.  

“Maybe they just don’t like Christmas at Norfolk County Council," he said.

In December 2023, the county council received reports that several streetlights on Caister High Street were not working.  

A spokesman for the authority said that after investigation they found these faults were due to Christmas decorations being fitted to them.  

“The issue was caused by connections made to the isolators within the streetlights, with cables not adequately protected and the column doors being left partially open.  

“It was found that the installation of the Christmas decorations did not meet electrical safety regulations, posing a risk of electric shock," the spokesman added.
 
Fallout from the investigation saw the parish council advised that a safer method for connecting Christmas lights would involve installing a high-level electrical socket.

The county council spokesman said this work would have to be carried out by personnel who are registered and qualified to work on or alter electrical highway equipment.

Katie Batchelor, who works at Batchelors Electricians, said: "As a company we take pride in the fact that we have competent and adequately trained employees, some of which include previous highway experience with street lighting.

"It's a shame that a compromise couldn't be achieved as we have always tried our utmost for the village of Caister, working with the parish council."

Caister Village Hall lit up for Christmas. (Image: Caister Parish Council) The lights are normally put up in November - with electricians working over the course of three or four evenings - ahead of the big switch-on the following month.  

Mr Wood said: “It just brightens up the whole High Street up from one end to the other."

Despite the dispute, he said the Christmas lights switch-on ceremony, and the annual lantern procession, would still go ahead on December 7. 

The event, which began in 2016, normally attracts approximately 1,000 people to the village centre. 

The tradition was set in motion by Mr Wood himself with the support of his late wife Diane. 

At the time, he said: “I only joined the parish council last year and I was driving through all the other villages and seeing their trees and I thought we really needed to do something." 

Caister, with a population of 8,000, is not the only place in Norfolk facing a dimmer Christmas this year. 

Last month, Love Holt, the rebranded Holt and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce, announced the town’s Christmas light switch-on event had been cancelled. 

They said the decision was made due to a lack of engagement and financial challenges.