Remember July? A month of potentially warm weather, early sunrises, late sunsets and, cynics have suggested, a perfect month to start switching off street lights in Northampton and across Northamptonshire.
So the clocks have gone back an hour. Now our normal early evening pattern of activity has been plunged into darkness, collecting children from school, children walking home from school, coming home from work, early evening shopping, all activities that need good lighting. Insurance giant Aviva recently warned that darker nights bring more crime.
But lets not forget all those services that are vital to support our communities – doctors, nurses, social services carers, Macmillan staff, looking after vulnerable and elderly who may need care at all times of the day and during the dark, all are at risk now their working environment has been plunged into darkness.
Right from the beginning the Liberal Democrats have opposed the light switch off and even found the monies in our alternative budget to keep the lights on. Conservative councillors happily voted for the lights switch off, even applauding their own budget cuts.
Residents have told me they feel like they’re back in the dark ages and they’re right. I have heard from many elderly too worried to go out at night, of a fear of an increase in crime, accidents, even people thinking of giving up their jobs because they’re too frightened to walk home along dark streets. This is no way to run a civilised county, and to protect it’s citizens from harm. The lights need to be back on and back on now. Conservatives listen to the communities you claim to represent, flick the switch lights on now!
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The Winter of Discontent has reached over the road to the Borough Council as well, at least for the ruling Conservatives. Indeed you could say the first victim of the dark nights was the former Conservative Leader, Cllr Palethorpe, who was brutally dispatched of by a so called “Gang of Six” of his own group last week.
Cllr Palethorpe himself offers some interesting views as why we are suffering this winter of discontent. In a no holds barred blog he attacked the Conservative administration at County Hall saying, “Woe betide anyone who actually questions or exposes their weak leadership and management which has led to the need for them to make swinging cuts to essential services over the next three years.”
He goes on to say about the cuts in Northamptonshire that it’s “undeniable however that it is also down to a County Council failure to manage their income and expenditure for political reasons who are now because of the recession in the position of being in economic meltdown, and it will be the people who have to take the brunt of at least 6 years of incompetence.”
Having served on the County Council since the Conservatives took control, I have to say I completely agree with him.
Article published in the Northampton Herald & Post, 10th Nov
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