U-turn on plan to switch off street lights

A review into turning off lights that aimed to save Powys County Council £150,000 has been abandoned.

The target has instead been reduced by £75,000 for 2019 and the proposal kicked into the long grass for a year, as part of Powys County Council’s draft budget.

Joy Jones, county councillor for Newtown East, said she was delighted the cabinet had listened to concerns about switching the lights off. She said it would have allowed criminals to take advantage of the situation.

Councillor Jones said: “I am so pleased they have listened. This would have been a step too far for residents, put council tax up and then remove street lights.

“It would also make the towns and county a lot more dangerous.

“There have been attacks, and we know Powys is an area being targeted by drug gangs as part of ‘County Lines’. Switching the lights off would mean a rise in crime.”

The cabinet member for highways, transport and recycling, Councillor Phyl Davies, told the meeting: “The cabinet has reviewed the savings proposed for street lighting and now proposes to reduce the 2019/20 savings target to £75,000, which will be achieved without significant loss of lighting provision.

“Proposals which could see lighting provision reduced significantly will be considered as part of a fundamental review of the service designed to deliver savings in the 2020/2021 financial year.”

For the 2019/20 financial year Powys County Council will have to make cuts of more than £9 million to make up the £14 million funding gap.

Residents have already been warned to expect a council tax hike of possibly 12 per cent.

For next year, the county council will receive £174m,290,605 million from the Welsh Government, which has been cut of 0.3 per-cent

The draft budget is expected to be discussed by the full council at the end of February.