Agenda item

Forum members related their experiences of streetlights that had been switched off by the County Council as part of its budget savings and questioned the appropriateness of it in these instances in terms of pedestrian or road user safety.

The Chair commented that it was his understanding that if the lamp standard had a “This light is switched off” sticker on it then it would not be switched  back on. The County Council planned to switch off 50% of the streetlights across the County. Although appeals could be made, for every light that was switched back on another had to be switched off. The Borough Council at its last Council meeting had passed a motion calling on the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council to write to the County Council requesting “that street lights in Northampton be turned back on in areas where residents/or the Police want them back on and in areas which house predominately vulnerable people.”

The Chair reported that the County Council’s formal review had ended on 23 September and that 5,000 appeals had been lodged. He also reported that a five year PFI scheme to make improvements to the lights left on, starting with the concrete light standards was due to commence from October. The improvements would include making them more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Thomas Hall commented that if people wanted to make appeals to the County Council then they could include reference to the Equality Impact Assessment as one would have to have been done and it should have included consideration of the impact of the proposals on elderly people.

The Chair urged people to write to their Borough and County Councillors to raise particular issues and to lobby for their support for a sensible resolution to them.

Forum members queried whether the County Council had considered alternatives such as solar powered lights. They also questioned the level of consultation that had taken place with other public bodies including the Police. The Police still advised people that well lit areas were a deterrent to crime and would not have agreed to the switching off of the lights on the Racecourse (subsequently turned back on)

It was agreed that the Chair write to the County Council on behalf of the Forum expressing it’s concerns and to include comments on:

·        What action was going to taken to repair pavements and road surfaces that were hazards to pedestrians and road users in unlit areas;

·        What action was going to be taken to improve the condition of white lining and bollards where they were heavily worn in unlit areas;

·        What action was going to be taken to cut back vegetation from signs and street lights that were left on but obscured by it;

·        That whilst the proposal was designed to save £2m from the street lighting budget it was likely to lead to an increase in insurance claims (and therefore costs) for injuries to pedestrians and road users and damage to vehicles: and

·        Despite the testing the County Council had undertaken, the true impact of their decision would probably be felt after the clocks went back at the end of October.