THE future of Petersfield's Christmas lights has been thrown into doubt yet again with the shock news this week that the group behind the illuminations is to resign at the end of this year. And this week town councillors said they were hoping to set up a special 'lights committee' to look at ways of ensuring that Petersfield continues its spectacular festive illuminations next year. Petersfield Marketing Ltd (PML) chairman Vernon Peake has written to the town council announcing the intention of the directors and volunteers to step down at the end of 2007. He told town clerk Neil Hitch: "We will, of course, erect and dismantle the lights for this year. "In 2008, Petersfield Marketing Limited will hand over all accounts and an itinerary of goods brought back to the council, for you to carry on with the illuminations in 2008." Mr Peake said PML had set itself a three-year objective to enhance Petersfield's Christmas lights, which the town had been in danger of losing in 2005, and this project comes to an end this year. "In those three years we believe that PML has done the best it can for the town's Christmas illuminations," he said, "especially when the like's of Lavant Street (though not all of them) are not prepared to participate in raising awareness of the lights for the town." Mr Peake said he wished the town council every success for the future in continuing with the Christmas lights as PML and others have done before. George Watkinson told fellow members of the town council at a finance and general purposes meeting last week that the news had come as a big shock. Mr Watkinson, who is the council's representative on PML, added: "Only recently I said how well it was going and that money was coming in to support the lights." He said much hard work went into putting up the lights every year and PML had tried to raise funds as well. "They are saying they have not had positive help from the town – some areas have been better than others, but there have been a lot of brick bats from Lavant Street." Mr Watkinson said he was concerned that a payment of £5,000 would be due to the company which hired the lights at Christmas. After that time, a new scheme would have to be organised or the current lights could be bought at a 30 per cent reduction. Mr Watkinson said he wanted to know who would pick up the bill if PML fell short. At present, the marketing group were gathering funds through the hiring out of the Square. "The group thinks that if money continues to come in until Christmas they will be able to pay the bill, but who picks it up if they can't?" Fellow councillor Bob Ayer told the meeting he believed it was important that the town council did all it could to secure the future of the lights. "This council has been very supportive of the Christmas lights for many years, and we should continue to support the lights if possible. "One thing is for sure – if the lights cease, I know who the public will blame, it will be this town council." He added: "I think we should do what we can to continue funding the lights in our town. Having said that, there is a risk that if we continue it will be this council who places the contract with Blashire (which hires the lights out)." And Mr Ayer warned: " The challenge is going to be to encourage contributions from traders in the town." Mr Ayer proposed that a recommendation went to the full town council that a Christmas lights group should be formed to investigate the cost of lights and how they should be provided. He said it was also imperative that the town council should see PML's contract with Blashire so that councillors knew what they were facing. But Ken Hick told councillors he was concerned about the future of the lights: "I am very concerned that we are losing sight of the real way this works." He claimed that shoppers came to Petersfield from many of the surrounding villages, including Liss, Buriton and East Meon. In addition, while many of the town's small independent traders helped to fund the lights, the national multiples did nothing, he said. "What benefit is there to the town council if the traders take more money? All it does is serve the uniform business rate and that goes to the national exchequer. "What I am saying is, is it anything to do with us? Is it not somewhere a responsibility of East Hampshire District Council? After all, we are providing facilities for an area all around us with the Christmas lights, not just Petersfield. "We are having to raise the precept for people other than those who live in Petersfield." But Mr Hick told councillors it had proved to be a "thankless task" putting up festive lights in the town, adding: "We should thank PML for what they have done." The PML group took over the organisation of the town's lights in March 2005 after the previous volunteers folded. It was the latest chapter in the long-running saga of Petersfield's efforts to market its businesses, attract tourists to the town, and provide Christmas lights. Mr Peake was unavailable for comment as The Herald went to press. The grand switch-on of this year's Christmas lights is scheduled for November 16.
