Questioning and Debate On Street Lighting

September

26

63 comments

The County Council Lib Dems have advised us today:

Essex County Council?s Cabinet Member for Highways today stated that he would definitely proceed with switching off nearly all street lights in Essex over the coming months. Cllr Bass was speaking today (Thursday 26 September) during questioning from Councillors on ECC?s Place Services Committee.

The issue was on the Agenda following a ?Call In? (by Liberal Democrat Highways Spokesman Cllr Stephen Robinson) of the decision to switch off lights in Chelmsford and Braintree.
Cllr Bass faced questions from Councillors for well over an hour, as they all expressed their concerns about the scheme. Councillors from all the political groups were concerned about the consultation process.

Cllr Robinson said, ?The Lib Dem group wants the council to listen more to comments from the public about particular ?danger spots? where lights should be kept on, and they should also press ahead now with low-energy LED lights as widely as possible.

?We do realise that the council has to save money and has to cut carbon emissions but they could achieve both those objectives by moving to LED lights over a period of time.
?In the areas where lights are being left on, LEDs could make a big difference fairly quickly, and on new housing developments using LEDs from the start will save money even on installation.?
Cllr Bass didn?t reject the LED proposal but said he was in no hurry to introduce them.

Cllr Robinson reported that one resident had narrowly avoided hitting a shopping trolley with his car that had been left in the road, and a cyclist had hit a wheelie bin. He also stated that many more people are out and about after 12 midnight than seemed to be assumed by the council, including people using the 24 hour supermarkets.

Cllr Bass felt these were minor points that did not undermine his plans, and he rejected a plea to take more notice of the ?fear of crime?. He stated that people will just have to adjust their behaviour if they are concerned. In response to a question from Lib Dem Jude Deakin, he stated that he was not concerned if householders started buying lamps and spotlights for outside their own homes.

About the author, admin

  • A couple of years ago, when the Hockley Area Action Plan was being consulted upon, a large area of Hockley did not receive RDM but RDC refused to believed this and insisted that RDM had been delivered.
    To cut a long story short, it later emerged that the Post Office had not delivered to around half of Hockley because of snow and ice. The council’s tracking system was clearly not fit for purpose and nothing seems to have changed.

  • What is the publication schedule for Rochford Matters? I never really notice the dates when it arrives so unless something is said here or somewhere similar I wouldn’t actually know I was missing out on one.

  • We didn’t receive the Autumn edition of RDM and haven’t had a yellow advertiser delivered to Laburnum Way for YEARS! (Not too worried re the latter unless someone is paying for a company to deliver this that aren’t fulfilling their contract). I for one however do read RDM. An online option is a good suggestion but how would I know when to check online to see when the latest edition is published ready for reading? An emailed notification might work? Otherwise a paper copy seems reasonable, I will read it and then recycle it afterwards -I’m sure RDC will be printing on recycled paper!!!

  • Greenbelt & Brian Guyett
    I only mentioned my concern about the Yellow Advertiser deliveries as an aside, whether that is delivered or not should have no bearing on any contractors obligation to deliver Rochford District Matters. What is of concern is that it would seem trackers were not worn by all Street Runners Ltd deliverers despite that it may apparently have been a contractual obligation judging from the officer’s remarks. I do not know if wearing such technology was either available to or a contractual obligation for the Royal Mail and its staff, which may have been contracted up to seven or more years ago.
    So far as I know currently the trackers and the supporting system are and were not the property of RDC, but more probably of Street Runners Ltd. I will endeavour to check.

    Mighty Oz
    There is still a significant proportion of the RDC population that either cannot or do not wish to go online, and for whom it would not be appropriate to drop hard copy delivery of RDM. So, until it becomes possible to be sure which residents could/would undertake to receive electronic copies by email attachment and register and keep updated their email address with RDC to do so, it will almost certainly be the case that RDC will continue aiming to have hard copies delivered to all properties in the District. A selective hard copy delivery would doubtless be harder and costlier to administer.

  • Christine Paine
    The following is a link to an on-line list of posting, dated approximately as quarterly RDM publications, for Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter editions, which are archived on-line at http://rdm.rochford.gov.uk/index.php/2013/10/03/rochford-district-matters-autumn-2013-listen-online-here/#more-10394 and http://rdm.rochford.gov.uk/index.php/category/podcasts/.

    Tags: audio version, podcast, rdm, rdm autumn 2013

    Rochford District Matters – Autumn 2013 – Listen online here

    Posted on 03 October 2013 by admin

    Rochford District Matters is also available in audio format, if you click on the video below to start the video – listen to the Autumn 2013 edition. Continue Reading

    Tags: audio version, podcast, rdm, rdm summer 2013

    Rochford District Matters – Summer 2013 – Listen online here

    Posted on 01 August 2013 by admin

    Rochford District Matters is also available in audio format, if you click on the video below to start the video – listen to the Summer 2013 edition. Continue Reading

    Tags: audio version, podcast, rdm, rdm spring 2013

    Rochford District Matters – Spring 2013 – Listen online here

    Posted on 14 March 2013 by admin

    Rochford District Matters is also available in audio format, if you click on the video below to start the video – listen to the Spring 2013 edition. Continue Reading

    Tags: audio verison, podcast, rdm, rdm winter 2012

    Rochford District Matters – Winter 2012 – Listen online here

    Posted on 16 January 2013 by admin

    Rochford District Matters is also available in audio format, if you click on the video below to start the video & listen to the Winter 2012 edition. Continue Reading
    Tags: podcasts, rdm, rdm autumn 2012

    Rochford District Matters – Autumn 2012 – Listen online here

    Posted on 31 October 2012 by admin

    Rochford District Matters is also available in audio format, if you click on the video below to start the video & listen to the Autumn 2012 edition. Continue Reading

  • Greenbelt,

    That is true about the database, anyway I have a cunning plan. Why not include a few lines and “tick box” in the next Electoral register letter ( the one where you have confirm your name etc )if want a hard copy of the paper . I’m pretty sure all households get one of those.

  • We have definitely not yet received the Autumn Copy of RDM. We live in the Downhall area and have in the past been so late in receiving copies that when a survey has appeared in it, the date for receiving responses has long expired.

  • Thank you for all the comments on this.

    Councillor Chris Lumley has just told me he doesn’t get RDM through his letterbox either…. and he lives in London Road.

  • Normally mine sent by post ,nothing yet .Not unusual as sometimes it never comes .Took years for RDC to get any copies to me ,never knew what Rochford Matters was .

  • To all those reading this who have not yet received a copy of Rochford District Matters Autumn edition in the past three weeks, please notify the RDC officer as she has requested, as in my post#45. That can be done by telephoning 01702 318139 or by emailing communications@rochford.gov.uk and giving your name and full postal address, to assist RDC officers in identifying the areas affected and getting to the root of the distribution problem experienced with the new contractor.

  • I seriously doubt there is any economic benefit of shifting existing lights to LED. A few facts demonstrate this point. Southend is to spend £2,650,000 to change their 13,000 street lights to LED in a three year project. The Council tax bill has an amount of about 29p per month to cover existing electricity use. At 100% saving (which is clearly not achievable) that means it will take 59.5 years to payback on this and thats without any renewals of equipment. Wholesale change is not a realistic way to save money. For new builds and replacement of existing stock as they fall into obsolence then yes I would say it makes enviromental sense to make the changes

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