Issue - meetings

This will be an opportunity for County Officers to report back on actions taken to address concerns raised by members of the public 5 October 2015

The Committee received an information report from the Communications and Engagement Officer (Cambridgeshire County Council).

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

       i.          Raised concerns that costs would be transferred from the County Council to the NHS. If the County Council tried to reduce costs by switching off lights, people may have accidents in the dark and so require hospital treatment, thus impacting on the NHS budget.

     ii.          Cost transfer concerns were raised with Sir Graham Bright, but no action was taken. Asked for a study to be undertaken to measure cost transfers between public sector budgets.

   iii.          Concern that the County Council had changed its original proposal setting out which areas would be lit or unlit.

In response to Members’ questions the Communications and Engagement Officer said the following:

       i.          The County Council needed to switch off a number of street lights in order to make savings. Areas of the city that were unlit would be treated the same as unlit rural areas.

     ii.          Personal circumstances were not factored into lighting proposals. The County Council provided street lighting, not lighting for the areas between streets and people’s homes. Therefore lighting could vary between different residential areas and sections of transport links. The County Council/Highways Authority were only obliged to light obstructions on the highway.

   iii.          The issue of cost transfer between public sector budgets would be looked at in liaison with partner organisations. Lighting would be reviewed if issues arose.

   iv.          Consultation on lighting proposals was now finished. The County Council would make a decision regarding street lighting in 2016. The decision would be fed back to all Area Committees.

The Communications and Engagement Officer undertook to respond to the following questions after the meeting:

       i.          Councillor Sanders: The trips and falls particularly to elderly/vulnerable residents and the impact on the County Council’s insurance indemnity.

     ii.          Councillor Pippas: Why can’t every second alternative light be switched off instead of a blanket switch off?

   iii.          Councillor O’Connell: How much is the City Council predicted to save as part of the County’s £272,000 overall annual saving?

   iv.          Councillor Ashwood mentioned investigating the placement of 100 new columns in Girton but then removing a much higher proportion in the residential areas.

    v.          Councillor McPherson queried about lighting and the guided busway.

ACTION: Communications and Engagement Officer to respond to SAC questions after the meeting.

Councillor McPherson, speaking as SAC Chair, thanked the Communications and Engagement Officer for attending, particularly as this was her second week in post. Tom Blackburne-Maze (County Council Head of Assets and Commissioning) had been invited to attend, so Councillor McPherson would ask for a response from him post meeting regarding issues raised.