A PLEA by Tavistock Chamber of Commerce for cash help to provide the town?s Christmas lights has been rejected by the town council.

Now the chamber is to explore other sources of funding to ensure the festive lights will shine.

In a letter to the town council, chamber secretary Guy Talbot outlined the problem: ?It has become increasingly difficult for the chamber of commerce to raise money from the traders in Tavistock.?

Last year, the chamber was left with a small shortfall from organising and installing the lights.

The letter warned that the future of the Christmas lighting in the town could be at risk.

?The chamber of commerce is concerned that it may not be possible to continue putting up Christmas lights in Tavistock because of the shortfall of funds, as well as the difficulty in finding volunteers to collect these funds.?

Mr Talbot said the lights helped to attract shoppers into the town during a busy trading period, and enhanced the Christmas scene of the town.

He said he was ?disappointed? by the council?s decision as in many other towns the costs of lights were borne by the town council.

But councillors felt responsibility for the Christmas lights should stay with businesses in the town as they were the main beneficiaries of the extra trade the lights brought.

The total cost of putting up, running, repairing and storing the Christmas lights each year is around £5,500.

The letter suggested it might be possible for the town council to save some of the costs incurred by the chamber through use of their own works staff, rather than having to use specific contractors.

But town clerk Roger Howard said this would not be the case, as the council did not have a specially-trained electrician who could put up the lights.

Cllr Roger Mathew, speaking at a finance and general purposes committee meeting last Tuesday, said the chamber of commerce had been responsible for the Christmas lights in the town for a long time.

?Christmas lights may be a municipal function elsewhere, but I?m not concerned about elsewhere. I do not think it is the function of the town council, it is very much a chamber thing,? he said.

Cllr Pat Warne said the town council already gave an assistance grant to the chamber. She said the town council workforce was already stretched enough putting up the Tree of Light in Bedford Square without taking on the Christmas lights as well.

However, Cllr Warne said the council might be able to offer some sort help in kind.

Councillors recommended writing to the chamber to say it was unwilling to take on primary responsibility for the Christmas lights, believing it was best managed by the chamber of commerce as in the past, but was sympathetic to any requests for assistance or support.