I SEE the council have taken their Christmas lights out of storage, employed labour to install them around the city having the mandatory switching-on ceremony with fireworks etc.

While councillors have had a year of “hard decisions”

they obviously believe that spending our dwindling coffers in this way is a must for any city and will help improve this year’s footfall over the festive period.

However, anyone coming into the city centre is hardly going to make this decision based on some lights, no matter how festive they may make our run down city look.

This is set against the continuing policy, justified by its cost saving, of the turning off of selected street lighting after 10pm, which at this time of the year is yet another reason for people to not to venture outside their front door after dark.

Rather than having the Christmas lights up, which most won’t miss, they should be investing in a programme of fitting light sensors that would control all street light - ing and allow us all to enjoy the safety that having lights on during the hours of dark - ness, that as taxpayers, we should have.

Dave Fothergill St Avenue Newport