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47 County Council - Lighting Proposal PDF 54 KB
Alan
Hitch: Strategic Projects Manager, Cambridgeshire County Council
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Committee received a report from the Safer Communities Manager regarding the
County Council street lighting proposals.
Alan Hitch, the
Strategic Projects Manager of Cambridgeshire County Council was present to
answer questions.
Councillor Sinnott addressed
the committee and made the following comments:
·
The
consultation invited limited responses and was complicated.
·
Questioned
how widely the consultation had been promoted.
·
Suggested
it was based on limited evidence of potential increased risks to personal
safety increased crime.
·
Stated
that other local authorities had modified their plans due to adverse impacts.
The Strategic
Projects Manager stated that the impact on crime would be closely monitored.
The Strategic
Projects Manager responded to the following questions:
Q1. Leila Dockerill
The Cambridge News stated that, in some
areas, the public had chosen to pay for additional lighting.
A. Parishes could
make that decision.
Q2. Member of the Public
If the consultation demonstrates a lack of support
for the proposals, would they be stopped?
A. The results of
the consultation would be considered by the County Council and a decision would
be made in January 2016.
Q3. Councillor Manning
Clarified that the decision regarding street
lighting had not been considered in isolation. Budgetary savings were needed
and if they did not come from reducing the cost of street lighting they would
have to be found elsewhere.
Q4. Member of the Public
Is it the nature of young people to hang
about in groups doing nothing in particular into the early hours of the
morning. Loss of street lights between midnight and 2am would make those young
people vulnerable.
Q5. Member of the Public
Could alternatives such as diming the lights
or installing motion sensors to turn them on and off be considered?
A. The proposals
included dimming lights. However, this alone would not produce the required
savings.
Motion sensors were
not an option as the technology was not available and lights going on and off
would disturb nearby houses.
Q6. Member of the Public
Has an equalities impact assessment been
carried out and the loss of street lights would have a greater impact on some
than others? It could increase feelings of social isolation. In addition,
pavements were in a poor state of repair in some areas and this could deter
some people from leaving their homes after dark.
Q7. Member of the Public
Fluorescent lighting is inefficient and take
a long time to warm up. Could more efficient LED lights be installed.
A. LED lighting
might be a solution for the future. They were not an option at the present time
as the contractor was delivering the solutions agreed in 2010.
Q8. Councillor Bird
Could every other light be turned off?
A. This was not an
option as the 2009 contract restricts the distance between lights.
Q9. Councillor Sinnott
Savings achieved by reducing lighting would
be transferred to other bodies and accidents and crime rates would rise.
Balfour Beatty had left a number of hazards following recent works.
A. Specific problems
and issues should always be reported. In addition, highways were regularly
inspected to ensure they met the required standards.
Q10. Councillor Sinnott
A march was planned for 4th
December in support of keeping the street lighting on.
Q11. Councillor Pitt
There were a number of on-going campaigns in
support of retaining street lighting.
The Committee
thanked Alan Hitch for attending the meeting.
County Council
consultation commenced on 26th October 2015 and would end on the 11th
December 2015.
Resolved:
The Committee noted Strategy and Resources Committee Report regarding the County Council lighting proposal and asked for their comments to be taken up with the County in the planned negotiations.