Councillors in Nantwich and Crewe are locked in a mid-summer wrangle – over a set of Christmas Lights!
Nantwich Town Council says it now owns the lights, which were apparently offered as a gift by Cheshire East Council.
And Nantwich councillors say they intend to use them as part of a festive display later this year.
But claims the lights were initially declined by Crewe Town Council have been rubbished by the rival authority four miles down the road.
Crewe believes the lights, some of which originally belonged to the former Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council and used in past Crewe town centre displays, should be kept in the town.
But Nantwich says they received them as a donation “in good faith” and have already spent money refurbishing the set.
Frantic efforts are now being made behind the scenes to defuse the dispute.
But in a statement today (June 20), Nantwich TC said they had employed an electrician to overhaul and renovate the lights after Crewe Town Council “declined them”.
It added that the council is “aware of a complaint from the clerk of Crewe Town Council” about the offer of the lights to Nantwich.
Cllr David Marren, of Nantwich Town Council, said: “He has also indicated had they taken the Christmas lights that they would have “skipped them”.
“The lights were not bought by Crewe Town Council or the Crewe Charter Trustees. They were the property of Cheshire East.
“Nantwich Town Council has acted in good faith on the strength of the offer from Cheshire East and has incurred considerable expense in finding storage space within council premises.
“It now plans to devote staff resource to the renovation of the lights to enable them to be used in the town centre in future.”
Nantwichnews has contacted Crewe Town Council and Cheshire East Council and is awaiting a response.
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