As the Echo explains here:
This week Essex County Council decided it would push ahead with plans to turn off 70 per cent of the county?s street lights between midnight and 5am, saving ?14million in electricity bills and cutting carbon emissions Lights in town centres and at major junctions will stay on.
The lights will stay on in the Thurrock and Southend areas, which come under unitary authorities…..
It will save energy, in the medium and long term it will save money, and it will allow us to see more of the night sky (which can be something beautiful).
On the debit side, people will be concerned about more crime….
In response to this, Tory County Councillor (from Rochford) Tracey Chapman was quoted as saying:
The woman behind the proposals, Tracey Chapman, Essex County Council?s Tory councillor responsible for street lights, said people?s fears were unfounded.
She said a trial of part-time lighting in Uttlesford and Maldon had seen crime fall during the light switch-off.
In Maldon, offences between 11.30pm and 5.30am dropped by 14 per cent, while offences dropped by 12.6 per cent in Uttlesford.
Mrs Chapman, who announced the proposals at County Hall, said: ?Many people are worried about crime statistics going up, but we have seen from the trials we have had in Maldon and Uttlesford that crime statistics did not jump. I hope having these trials already will put people at ease.
This looks like being a talking point for quite a long time, with mixed views cutting across party lines….