Cllr Chris Stanbra, member for Danesholme division and Deputy Leader of the Lib Dems at County Hall, has written to the Evening Telegraph calling for the Conservatives to rethink the streetlight switch off in Corby and Northamptonshire. The text of the letter is below:
“Dear Sir,
In accordance with their budget proposals which were supported by all 56 Conservative county councillors the Conservatives at county hall have begun switching off streetlights in Northamptonshire, plunging many areas into total darkness at night, raising fear of crime and making many people prisoners in their own homes once darkness falls.
I and my Liberal Democrat colleagues at county hall do not support the current programme of switching off streetlights in residential areas. We voted against the budget proposals that implemented the programme. We suggested alternative savings to back office costs which would have meant that the switch off in residential areas did not go ahead. The Conservatives chose to ignore our suggestions.
I attended budget scrutiny sessions in January and February this year before the budget was passed. When this proposal was discussed I asked for councillors and local residents to be involved in the process by which decisions were made to switch lights off. The scrutiny process recommended that the county council should make ”provision to consult with divisional councillors and local communities concerned when street lights are to be switched off”. I asked for this again in April and also asked how the views of local residents would be taken into account as part of the switch off process. I was told on 19th April that “ contact with Councillors and the public is by way of informing rather than consultation as both the available timescales and objective prioritisation system required restrict this being possible” and was also told that it was “not possible to provide information indicating individual lighting columns that will be switched off.” Consequently local residents should not expect any advance warning when lights in their street cease to operate.
The switch off has been completed in Corby and there has been an outcry from local residents. It was wrong to pick on Corby as the starting point for the switch off. There should have been several places across the county where the programme started so that no particular area was singled out.
Its not too late for the Conservatives to adopt a different attitude. However, I believe that they are determined to push ahead with this policy at the moment. The growing weight of public concern and criticism may yet cause them to reconsider the switch off in residential areas.
Yours faithfully
Chris Stanbra
Deputy Leader
Lib Dem Official Opposition Group
Northamptonshire County Council”
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