"We Wanted To Try An Area Not Used To Street Lights" Says Cllr Bass As Essex Ploughs On With Essex Lights Shutdown

10.33.23pm GMT Tue 20th Mar 2007

Lib Dem councillors Geoffrey Sell (left), chair of Stansted Parish Council, and Alan Dean, representing Uttlesford's South West Area Panel (centre), handing their witness statement to Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, the county Lib Dem group leader, before their unsuccessful attempt at Essex County Council's Scrutiny Committee this morning to get the street light switch-off in Stansted reconsidered.

Essex County Council's Scrutiny Committee today disregarded a call-in request to reconsider switching off street lights in Uttlesford from midnight to 5 a.m. The decision call-in had been made by county Lib Dem group leader Tom Smith-Hughes. Cllr Smith-Hughes called Stansted parish council chairman, Cllr Geoffrey Sell and Stansted district councillor Alan Dean as witnesses. But to no avail. The Conservative-dominated committee voted to give the green light to Cllr Rodney Bass, county cabinet member for highways and transportation to start the switch-off in a few weeks' time.

"I was disappointed but not surprised at the outcome', said Cllr Dean. The County Council have refused to listen to local opinion from the outset last year. So it was second nature for them to ignore overwhelming public opposition in Stansted.

"What staggered me was Cllr Bass's statement that they chose to condemn Uttlesford to darkness after midnight because it is 'an area not used to having street lights'. I wish he would come here and tell that to the faces of residents in Old Bell Close and Spencer Close in my ward. People there are very angry. They are used to having street lights and do not want to be victimised, especially when the majority of lights under parish council control will stay on."

Cllr Sell said: "I told the committee about all the complaints I had received from residents and about the county council's abject failure to consult residents in streets destined for darkness. Cllr Bass's report said there is significant support for the switch-off. That is simply untrue. But the Conservative county councillors weren't prepared to listen. One councillor described recent complainants as the 'fag end' of a satisfactory consultation by the county."

Note: Cllr Rodney Bass is tonight due to attend a civic reception at Uttlesford Council in Saffron Walden. Cllr Alan Dean will be presenting him with a candle to take back to county hall.