A ROW has broken out over a £70,000 bill for Victorian-style streetlights in Abergele.
The Abergele Town Heritage Committee decided to buy the lamps at £1,800 each to fit in with the town’s conservation area, rather than buying the standard £500 options.
Work on the £100,000 scheme will begin in October with the town council covering the extra cost.
But the move has come in for strong criticism with Cllr John Pitt saying the extra £70,000 could have been used to fill thousands of pot-holes.
He said: “We should spend public money as if it’s our own and in hard times we shouldn’t spend extravagantly.”
But Abergele Mayor Malcolm Meldicott said the decision had been carefully considered over the last two years.
He said: “We want to try and make the place look better. We have budgeted for it, it’s not as if we’re just splashing out.”
Cllr Meldicott said that money for the 56 lamp posts had been carefully calculated and that some cash had already been set aside from this year and last.
The street lights, which have a lifespan of up to 40 years, will be placed along Market Street, Water Street and some way up Llanfair Road.
Cllr Meldicott said: “We can all see that it’s a lot to spend in hard times but we want to do the best for the town.”
The town council looked at another option to buy cheaper Victorian-style lamps but the strong white light given off by the pricier model was found to be superior and allowed CCTV to operate more effectively.
Cllr Andrew Wood of the Gele Ward said that he was wholeheartedly behind the choice.
He said: “They are designed to go with new CCTV cameras. The visibility in the town is going to be fantastic. They will last longer and give better light. They will also help improve the security of the town.”
Despite the issue drawing some media attention resulting in television and radio interviews, Cllr John A. McLennan of the Pentre Mawr ward said that to his knowledge the council had received only two negative comments.
He said that by ordering the more expensive lamp post, which would give the streets a “traditional flavour”, the council was fulfilling its duties of making the town a pleasant place to live.
He said: “It will enhance the town and it will not make it ugly with galvanised steel all over the place.”