Senior Flintshire councillor explains why her community has no Christmas lights

A senior Flintshire councillor has explained why her community continues to have no Christmas lights.

Although public switch-on events have largely been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, many towns and villages have still put on festive displays.

Holywell kept up tradition by turning on its Christmas lights on Friday evening with a special YouTube video made for residents to watch, while the streets of Mold and Penyffordd have also been illuminated in the absence of crowds.

However, it’s a familiar story in Sealand, where the community council has once again chosen not to put lighting up at all.

The decision has been justified by local representative Christine Jones, who said the annual cost of normal street lights made it too expensive to buy Christmas decorations.

In a post on Facebook, the Flintshire Council cabinet member, said: “Every year residents ask why we do not put up Christmas lights in Sealand.

“The answer is simple, it would cost thousands of pounds.

“We as a council have always made the decision that we would rather upgrade our streetlights for the safety of our residents in Sealand.

“Keeping the community well-lit 24/7 52 weeks of the year – this is money well spent.

“We are a community council not a town council, so do not get as much money allocated to us to spend.”

Street lights currently account for the largest amount of money spent by the community council, with the cost of replacing columns each year coming to more than £20,000.

Cllr Jones said keeping the area lit all year round was a higher priority than having Christmas illuminations for one month.

Explaining why Sealand also does not have a Christmas tree, she added: “If we had somewhere to erect a Xmas tree safely we could do that, but we would need access to electric and ensure the tree was safe, so it could not go on the highway.

“This is going to be a very different Christmas, so please enjoy yourselves but stay safe.

“If you know of anyone who is struggling through this difficult time, please get in touch.”

Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).