COMMUNITY groups in Cleveland which strive to keep towns and villages looking attractive now face a shock charge - in the interests of public safety.

Though councillors this week threw out a scheme to levy a £20 per lamppost safety inspection fee on groups wanting to put up hanging baskets or Christmas decorations, the charge will only be waived if Redcar and Cleveland council workmen are used to put baskets or decorations in place.

So groups using volunteers or cheaper options will suffer. A spokesman for one hard-working volunteer group said the decision was a bombshell. The group - which did not want to be identified - uses volunteers to erect hanging baskets.

"This could hit us hard," said the spokesman. "We will have to see what can be done."

Elsewhere, however, there was relief. The newly-formed Guisborough in Bloom had already budgeted for council teams to put up hanging baskets in a £3,000 scheme. Members had been bracing themselves for bad news as councillors considered the charging idea on Tuesday.

Town council clerk, Pam Batts, said: "This a brand new venture for us and so it is a huge relief to know we will not have to pay the extra charge. It would have hit us really hard otherwise."

Commercial concerns will have to pay the £20 charge whatever the circumstances.

Imposition of the charge is linked to a move to improve the safety of ageing lighting stock. Technical services director, Mr Ralph Ferguson, accepted the idea would be unpopular. "But it is my duty to point out our fears over safety," he said.

Officers felt there was a need for a new safety policy for all lighting columns over five years old.

Less than one per cent of the borough's stock is under five years old and a total replacement cost of £13m is way out of the council's budget. Engineers felt that a policy of visual inspections in lieu of approval for baskets and decorations was not adequate.

Now, with the current replacement rate meaning a column's life could be 50 years, twice the manufacturers' recommendation, councillors were urged to adopt tighter rules.

This involved any application for a hanging basket, banner or other decoration on a lighting column more than five years old paying a £20 charge for a testing fee to confirm its safety.

Coun Dave McLuckie said: "I am totally opposed to this. Volunteer groups are doing excellent work in many communities and creating a feel-good factor as a result. Many groups would not survive if we impose this fee."

Coun McLuckie suggested a compromise whereby groups using council teams to erect and remove baskets and such would have the fee waived as workmen could do a visual check of lighting columns at the same time.

Coun Brian Hogg backed the idea. "Community groups should be praised not saddled with extra costs," he said. "As a result of their efforts, the whole area is enhanced and vandalism reduced as people feel they have something to be proud of."

Mr Ferguson said the compromise could add about £5,000 to his department's budget. His deputy, Mr Andy Hyams, said later that the committee's decision did not totally address the safety issues involved.

"At least the lights will get a cursory check, but if we spot anything amiss we will have to have a more thorough test and the department will have to pick up the tab," he said. "This was one way of ringing the alarm bells about the state of our lighting stock." Mr Hyams said the inspection programme would continue.