Essex street lights to remain
switched off overnight
Lights are to remain switched off
overnight across Essex despite councils
wanting them back on.
The Essex County Council scheme to turn off
70% of street lights between midnight and
05:00, to save £1m a year, began last March.
Harlow councillors have now voted to
pay £121,000 to have the lights back on.
Colchester and Tendring are considering
similar moves. Conservative-run Essex
County Council has so far rejected their
approaches. The councils are concerned over
residents’ safety in the darkened streets and
increases in crime.
Rodney Bass, responsible for street lighting
in Essex, said the scheme would continue
and “there is no evidence of an increase in
crime or accidents attributed to the Part Night
Lighting” (the official name of the policy).
“Near rail stations and where people walk at
night we over-ride the system and keep the
lights on.”
Jon Clempner, leader of Labour-run Harlow
Council, said: “We plan to pay for the
restoration of lights with a small council
tax increase. We will continue to put our
community’s needs first and get our town’s
street lights back on.”
Harlow MP Robert Halfon, who had
supported the campaign, said because Essex
County Council was not willing to agree to
the principle of switching the lights back on,
it was better to defer further consideration
for a year. Colchester Borough Council’s
cabinet has allocated up to £185,000 from
the 2014/15 budget to pay for the lights to be
switched back on.
This will go to the full council at a date to be
fixed. Tendring District Council is to debate
the issue on 24 March.
Issue 65. South East Times. Page 33
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