Cambridge lights to burn bright at night, despite switch-off elsewhere today

This follows a deal negotiated by the City Council with the County Council and a campaign and night time vigil by residents and students organised by the Cambridge Labour Women’s Group, and over 1200 Cambridge people responding to a countywide consultation wanting streetlights to stay on in Cambridge, half residents and half students.

Originally, Cambridgeshire County Council planned to cease all residential street lighting from midnight, but later agreed to fund lighting to 2am. The City Council stepped it to keep lights on from 2am to 6am. While some Parish and Town Councils are keeping overnight lights on, Cambridge is the only district in the county where all lights are staying on through the night.

Under the deal, the County Council also agreed to pick up 100% of the cost of the city centre lighting and other busier roads like Station Road as train and coach services run after midnight and commuters often set off before 6am.

Councillor Lewis Herbert, Labour Leader of Cambridge City Council, said today: "At under 40p per city resident, we believe the cost to keep the lights on is a price well worth paying.
 
"Areas like Romsey are different to Ramsey or isolated rural cottages in the middle of nowhere. Romsey and Cambridge need their overnight street lighting so people travelling late will be both safer and feel safer, and so families and friends at home can sleep soundly.

"We are glad that the deal we struck, and the good relations we have with the County Council, means there is no blackout from the start of April and the new financial year as happened in other counties, and the deal also sees the County Council contributing financially to lighting after midnight, again unlike towns and councils in Essex like Harlow also keeping their lights after the county decision to cut them."

The City Council also asked the County Council about the viability of replacing the existing Balfour Beatty PFI lights with new LED lights but was told by the County Council that this was not financially viable and that the County Council would not fund it.

The City Council contribution is subject to a detailed three year agreement, which also confirms a maximum of 50% dimming in quieter residential areas and no dimming in high footfall parts of the city centre including all areas covered by CCTV.

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 More from Councillor Lewis Herbert on 0774 853 6153, and also from Councillor Ann Sinnott 07981 970815  and "The Keep Cambridge Lights Bright Campaign"


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