Turning off the street lights?

LRA County Councillor Chris Pond chaired the County Safer and Stronger Communities Policy and Scrutiny committee which looked into the scheme to reduce the cost and environmental effects of street lighting. The trial involved turning lights off after midnight, although main streets and some others were left on.
The scheme would have been pushed through by the Conservative majority anyway – Chris Pond and the other Councillors involved have taken great trouble to ensure that it will be much more responsive to local needs. The aim is a 70% saving in fuel carbon and cost, while maintaining sufficient small-hours lighting to avoid people fearing the dark and worrying about more crime. The final decisions will, of course, be taken by the Conservative cabinet member, Cllr Norman Hume.

• The committee decided on evidence from the police there had been no general increase in crime in the pilot areas - in fact, it had reduced as much or more than in lit areas. There were increases in burglaries in one or two switched-out streets in Saffron Walden, but there were lit streets elsewhere where there were similar increases.
  
  
• New technology offers solutions that save more carbon and money than a blanket midnight switch off. A central computer-managed system can give infinite control over each light, so that modern ones can be dimmed, and/or alternate ones switched off and left on.
  
  
• Parish/Town Councils will have a say over the arrangements, and can pay to leave on a set of lights that the County thinks should be dimmed or off.
  
  
• Routes leading from stations with services after midnight will not be switched out or turned down.
  
  
• There will be automatic reporting of failed lamps and of lamps lit during daytime.
  
  
• Subject to negotiations with the suppliers, the County Council (and hence council-tax-payers) will pay only for the electricity the system uses - at the moment it is on an estimated, unmetered basis.

We know that many people remain concerned about possible dangers. Loughton Town Council would be consulted any changes are made here, and would of course take the views of residents into account along with the evidence. We are very pleased that the work done by LRA County Cllr Pond, chairing the Committee which looked at this subject, has meant that the initial proposals (for a switch-off after midnight) have been significantly improved, with flexibility built in to meet the particular needs of each community. You may like to read the Committee’s report.