PREPARATIONS for Helensburgh’s Christmas lights switch-on will begin on Monday after an agreement was finally reached on funding.

The Helensburgh Festive Lighting Charitable Trust, formerly the Friends of Victoria Hall, applied for two grants of £20,000 from Argyll and Bute Council to deliver the town's Christmas lights display.

The grant was agreed by Argyll and Bute Council's Helensburgh and Lomond area committee in September, but the conditions attached prompted the trust to seek legal advice amid claims it would leave trustees in breach of guidance issued by the OSCR (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator).

The conditions stipulated any company or organisation providing paid services to the trust should not be connected in any way with the trust itself.

They also stated volunteer and benefit-in-kind contributions are not eligible for grant award.

However, Argyll and Bute Council confirmed the conditions attached to the grant had been agreed by both parties last week, although confusion surrounds whether the terms were amended.

A spokeswoman for the trust – which sought legal advice before considering the council's offer – said the organisation was “delighted” the council had amended the original terms and conditions in line with its requests, and thanked John Steele, of Brunton Miller, for his representation.

She said: “We understand all offers of public money come with terms and conditions. We have received many thousands of pounds for our various community projects over the 16 years we have been involved in town developments and are more than happy to accept funds on that basis.  

“However, when the terms offered require the trustees to break the law and prevent us from dealing with Helensburgh businesses who have supplied and sponsored us for many years then obviously we had to seek amendments.  

“The formal agreement  incorporating all the amendments and clarity we requested was signed last week and the grant funding will now be available to us and I am pleased to report that we are all ready to go with this year’s festive lighting spectacle.”

However, Argyll and Bute Council confirmed that the conditions were “as agreed at the area committee”.

A council spokeswoman said: “We are delighted to be working with a community partner in Helensburgh to deliver festive lighting to the town this year.

“We had invited local organisations keen to get involved in organising Christmas lights for their community to get in touch if they wanted to do this for 2017.

“We have agreed to work with the Helensburgh Festive Lighting Charitable Trust to light up Helensburgh this Christmas and they will receive grant support from the council to do so.

"There are conditions attached to the grant which have been agreed by the council and the Trust. The conditions were as agreed at the area committee.”

Councillor Ellen Morton, chair of the Helensburgh and Lomond area committee, said: “I’m delighted that Helensburgh will have its by now traditional and much admired display of lights thanks to the hard work of volunteers working in partnership with the council.”

Work will start on the 160 light features on Monday, October 23 to ensure that everything is in place for the switching-on of the display on Friday, November 24.