THE shortest day is weeks behind us and the nights are gradually becoming lighter, despite the best efforts of Essex County Council. The Conservative-run Council has failed to repair numerous street lights around Harlow, leaving many areas at the mercy of rising crime and anti-social behaviour.

Not so many years ago, Essex County Council tried to cut street lighting around Harlow by turning it off for part of the night. The lights only remained on thanks to Labour-run Harlow Council providing additional funding for a service that is solely the responsibility of the County Council – and despite the majority of the money you pay in Council Tax going to the County Council. 

Now, if you travel around the streets of Harlow, you may take for granted that the lights are on, but what you may be struck by is how many streetlights are not working. It’s clear that Essex County Council is failing to repair the broken lamps around our town.

In the course of just a 10 minute walk my home ward of Netteswell, I logged 12 broken street lamps. This situation is replicated from Sumners to Potter Street, from Mark Hall to Little Parndon and Hare St, from Toddbrook to Church Langley. There is not an area of the town untouched by this dereliction of responsibility.

Given the nature of Harlow and the work opportunities that surround it, our town cannot be characterised as working 9-5, many people commute to London, the airport, the hospital and numerous other locations in the hours of darkness. Their safety is at risk due to the failure of Harlows’ Conservative County Councillors to do their job and get any value for the ever increasing amount of money we pay to Essex County Council.

The lack of street lighting has a detrimental effect on crime and anti-social behaviour whilst the general wellbeing of residents drops. Ask residents if they feel safer and happier with functioning street lights they answer yes.Ask the Police if lighting reduces crime they will answer yes. 

But broken street lights do not only affect roads. Footpaths, cycle tracks, recreational areas and housing estates are also made less safe by this neglect. Combine this with the lamentable collection of potholes afflicting all of these sites, and accidents are bound to happen.

The Labour run Council ensured that the lights were kept on and put pressure on Conservative controlled Essex County Council to maintain them. Now we have Conservative-run councils in Harlow and Essex, with no less than four Conservative councillors sitting on both councils, and the lighting situation is as bad as ever.

It appears the four of them have either been rendered mute by their conflict of interest or are just too lazy to tackle the issue. Either way, it is Harlow residents who yet again suffer from this Conservative failure.

How many streetlights are out in your area? Do these Conservative councillors really represent you and your needs? 

James Griggs

Labour Candidate for Netteswell