It's lights out for Thetford!

Norfolk County Council Cabinet committee has approved the turning off of over 1400 Thetford streetlights.

 Starting in the next few months and being phased in over 3 years most of Thetfords street lights will be turned off after 12 midnight. Apparently this is to save Norfolk County Council (NCC) a few quid. Will we residents get a reduction in council tax as we're the ones paying for street lighting? Don't hold your breath!

A draft list of the streets and affected lights within those streets was issued to Town Councils. As usual nobody bothered to ask residents if they had a view.

The initial story was that about half the street lights across Norfolk would be affected and whilst that may be true it doesn't take into account many built up areas, like Thetford, where almost all lights will be shut off leaving the town in near darkness reminiscent of WWII blitz blackouts. 

According to NCC street lighting manager Martin Wegg, streets were selected according to how much traffic they carried and how much crime there was in that area. Really? Well apart from the Abbey Estate  which will not have any lights turned off whatsoever, nearly every street in Thetford will get the dark treatment which suggests that, after midnight, there is little traffic movement in Thetford and no crime!

Residents, Breckland Councillors and some NCC councillors themselves are concerned about this move. Concern is over increased crime opportunities, increased fear of crime and for the safety of residents. What will happen if someone falls ill during the early hours? Will the emergency services cope as effectively in totally unlit streets as they do now? What if someone trips or falls because there is no lighting and they just cannot see the many potholes in the road? NCC dismisses all this saying that crime rates could even lower (Martin Wegg, Streetlight Manager NCC), emergency services will make their own arrangements (Marion Chapman-Allan, Norfolk County Councillor for East Thetford), and NCC accept no responsibility for injury to any resident caused by lack of street lights because we legally don't have to provide lighting if we don't want to so don't bother suing us! (Adrian Gunson, NCC cabinet member for Planning &Transportation).

Strange that! Take a look at the Norfolk County Council website and under 'Street Lighting' you will see this:

'Street lighting is a vital local service. Effective lighting has a key role to play in cutting crime and the fear of crime, and making it easier and safer for people to get around at night. Improving community safety and reducing accidents on the road are top priorities for Norfolk County Council...'.

Marion Chapman-Allan, Norfolk Councillor for Thetford East, denied any knowledge of which streets and how many lights would be on the list despite the fact that the list was distributed to all Councillors. A bit silly of Norfolk County Council to forget to post it to one of their own then, wouldn't you say? Funny how the other Thetford NCC Councillor got one.

 Marion told our appointed representative that she is all in favour of saving your money for NCC (I can see a top job at NCC soon for our Marion) and says that street lighting does not deter criminals anyway. She said that the decision over which lights would go off is down to Thetford Town Council (not so, Marion), and Marion said that few people will be affected and commented "what law abiding person walks the street after midnight?"

Well, Marion, that would be Policemen, Paramedics, Firemen, Doctors, shift workers, people walking their dogs, people coming home from a night out...........

But of course that's only a few people so in the great scheme of things it's nothing really to bother about, is it? Never mind the fact that we live in a country where the minority group is King and Councils often use the argument that minority groups have rights too!

Anyway, the NCC street lighting manager told us that the list could be amended if they are made aware of any good reason for leaving a light/lights on. So....

Martin Wegg

Street lighting Manager

 Norfolk County Council
County Hall
Martineau Lane
Norwich
Norfolk
NR1 2DH

and here is part of that list:

Support your Residents Association. Help yourselves.