Council wants traders to pay for more lights at Christmas

Navan Town Council is contributing €15,000 for Christmas lighting in the town this year, but some councillors believe the local traders should take more responsibility for the lights. At last week's meeting of the council, Cllr Jim Holloway pointed out he had been at a seminar in Clonmel recently and when the people there heard the sum Navan Town Council was giving towards Christmas lights, they were stunned. “The traders in Clonmel provide the lights there,†he said. Cllr Suzanne Jamal said that it should be down to the traders to provide the lights. She knew a little town in Monaghan that was lit up every year, but it wasn't the local authority that was funding the lights there. Cllr Francis Deane said Deputy Damien English had been working with the traders on the issue of Christmas lights. Cllr Joe Reilly said it was something should be sorted out this year, so that proper funding would be in place next year. He commented that it was not fair that some people were not contributing towards the lights. This Christmas, they should commit themselves to have issue sorted out for next Christmas by September, Cllr Anton McCabe urged. Meanwhile, an all-out effort to encourage shopping in Navan this Christmas has been launched by the council which revealed details of Operation Freeflow last week. Last Saturday's visit by 'X-Factor' stars Jedward, the Christmas trees at Kennedy Place and the town hall and free parking on Saturdays as well as for the entire week before Christmas, are just some of the initiatives taken by the council to boost local trade. At last week's meeting, members heard that the town has been advertised in the media and leaflet drops have been made to all the homes in Navan, while a designated website has been set up, outlining the Christmas campaign. Bus Eireann has increased the size of its local town service buses from 18-seaters to 30 to cater for demand and additional buses have been laid on from Navan on Saturdays and Sundays to cater for shoppers from Kells, Virginia and Cavan. All non-essential roadworks have been cancelled for the month of December and there will be an increased presence of traffic management personnel to ensure that vehicles are not stopping in places where free movement of traffic would be impeded. The Gardai will have an increased presence at various 'pinch points' around the the town. Additional directional signage is also being erected. The Mayor, Cllr Phil Brennan, thanked the manager and staff for getting behind the campaign and said a lot depended on the people of Navan staying at home to do their shopping this year. Cllr Peadar Tóibín said that even the cover signs on the parking meters was reaching out to the people of Navan. He urged the people of Meath to shop local this year and keep jobs and money in circulation. Cllr Anton McCabe agreed that even the covers on the meters added to the festive atmosphere in the town Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons said that if they get the people of the town to shop in Navan, it would save the town. Cllr Joe Reilly urged local people to look for what they want in Navan before going anywhere else. It had been a bad year, said Cllr Shane Cassells, but he urged the public to support local traders who, in turn, would support them after Christmas.