No shred of evidence for streetlight claims

I SEE from a sheet of LibDem propaganda just circulated to residents in Saffron Walden the extraordinary claim that "Essex County Council is backtracking away from a threat to switch off Saffron Walden's streetlights after midnight.

"The climb-down follows a threat of legal action by Lib Dem controlled Uttlesford District Council and the town council."

Frankly, nothing could be further from the truth. Moreover there is not a shred of supporting evidence for this claim.

When the proposal was put forward to modify lighting arrangements in Saffron Walden for the purpose of reducing rapidly rising energy costs and carbon emissions, the LibDem reaction verged on hysteria.

Their opposition was implacable, petitions were launched and the press was deluged with protest letters.

They were just not interested in the consultation process. There was no willingness to address the possibility that there was unnecessary waste of lighting and to explore potential savings.

It was not even worth the experiment which after all is the current scheme.

I, as county councillor for Saffron Walden, together with Jim Ketteridge, the Conservative leader on Uttlesford District Council, went to Chelmsford to participate actively in the consultation process.

There was a real willingness to listen to our observations and as a result modifications were accepted. At no stage was the threat of legal action even mentioned.

Other county councils are now introducing similar schemes including the LibDem controlled county of Devon. Although reduced lighting is understandably not popular with everybody, at the same time many people have said to me the experiment has sound objectives and should be given the benefit of time.

The most important issue for me is peoples' safety and I will not waiver in my attempts to satisfy this concern. As always, if people wish to comment or put forward constructive suggestions I will be pleased to receive them.

Cllr Robert Chambers Duddenhoe End