Street lights turned off at night to save cash will not be switched back on, according to the county council’s top man.
Lincolnshire County Council Leader Martin Hill said there is no chance that all of the 38,000 street lights which are currently off in Lincolnshire will come back on as the £1.7m saved annually can’t be spared.
Coun Hill’s comments come ahead of a six-month street light review by eight of county councillors starting tomorrow (Friday).
Despite Coun Hill’s definitive statement, the review will go ahead.
A council spokesman said: “The scrutiny review relates to the part-night lights.
“The lights that have been switched off for the whole night are being monitored for 12 months before a final decision is made on whether to leave them off.”
The spokesman said the council perceived no impact on pedestrians.
“Part-night lighting has been in place for some months now, and we’ve seen no evidence to suggest that the changes have had a negative impact on people’s safety,” he said.
There is a chance some of the part-night lights, which are switched off at either 10pm or midnight, could serve longer hours if the committee finds it necessary, Lincolnshire County Council said.
“Over the next few months they (the committee) will be collecting evidence and speaking to relevant organisations, including the district councils, to gauge the impact of the changes.
“They will then submit their recommendations to the executive. While this may include amendments to the policy, the available budget would not allow for a wholesale reversal of the changes.”
South Holland district councillor Roger Gambba-Jones said he doesn’t believe there would be a benefit for LCC consulting the district council.
“LCC needs to hear the views of residents directly, based on their personal views and experiences, not as interpreted by the district council,” he said. “I have heard of a number of residents expressing concerns about this, but nobody has approached me personally.”
Coun Gambba-Jones said: “I don’t really subscribe to the us and them approach when it comes to the savings made.
“Cutting the cost of running a service is not the same as making a genuine profit from it. Any savings made by the county council will ultimately reduce the amount of council tax the county council need to levy from all taxpayers. Therefore, the taxpayers of South Holland will gain.”
