THE public are being invited to organise Barnard Castle’s Christmas lights.

That’s after residents gathered for a public meeting at The Witham last night (Monday, February 16), to discuss plans to provide this year’s festive display.

Chairwoman, Councillor Sandra Moorhouse, said the meeting would try to form a Christmas lights working group which might be able to take charge of the existing £6,500 funding pot available in the council’s budget.

The meeting came after the town council decided it could not find an additional £3,500 requested from Durham County Council to carry out essential lamppost windage tests which are usually completed every 30 months.

Cllr Moorhouse, said: “We are really hoping that the council will be able to work with the local community and businesses to try to bring around something a little better then perhaps what we already have.

“We will all agree the Christmas lights are not up to the standard we all wish and we have now come to the conclusion that we all need to come together to get a better display.”

Town clerk, Michael King, explained how there are currently more than 50 motifs and street lighting columns in the town which were the council’s “biggest constraint” because the county council has to approve anything for them.

Resident, Karen Bowers, suggested lighting up the trees at the top of Galgate while fellow resident, Sue Smith, recommended having something similar to the tree of light, in Keswick, where people make a donation to buy a bulb.

She also suggested crowd-funding or asking people to light their homes if they were given an incentive.

Cllr Robinson said he thought a community group would be the best way to go forward.

“The problem is Barnard Castle Town Council is constrained by red tape because it’s a statutory body that has to answer to Durham,” he said.

“My point is that the town council is duty-bound to go to Durham to ask permission to go into long talks about it and before you know if it’s 2020 and we’ve had no Christmas lights for the last five years.”

Town mayor, John Blissett, also suggested a ‘welcome to Barnard Castle’ sign on County Bridge while Councillor Gary Marshall said a message could be projected onto the castle and said he would set up a Facebook group to encourage more people to get involved.

For more information contact the town council, ideally before the council’s partnership committee on March 2, by calling 01833-690970 or email clerk@barnardcastletowncouncil.gov.uk