The North Laine will have Christmas lights this year and not as you reported (The Argus, September 29).
Traders have pledged tens of thousands of pounds for Christmas lights over the past six years. This year, the only difference is the North Laine Traders Association is spending £3,500 to give lights to individual shops rather than joining a city centre scheme.
The contractors who erected last year's lights are not prepared to use our existing displays so we have had to find alternatives.
In the late 1990s, 86 per cent of North Laine traders pledged money for Christmas lights each year. This figure fell in the early part of the new millennium to about 49 per cent and this year it is down further.
Nevertheless, it is a good deal higher than one pledge from the 99 shops in Western Road or the ten per cent who pledged for the rest of the city centre.
The association is beginning to focus on using new Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) legislation to ensure funding for future Christmas lights. This would enable it to hold a referendum to gauge enthusiasm for spending on festive lighting in future years.
Peter Stocker, secretary,
-North Laine Traders Association
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