One of the headlines on the BBC that I overlooked during the global financial maelstrom was the following:
Councils in England and Wales are considering switching off some of their street lights to save money and energy.
Councils say that switching off the lights will cut carbon dioxide emissions and help them to reduce their carbon footprints. Turning lights off at certain time will also save money.
Motoring organisation the AA is opposed to the move. They say that the number of serious road accidents will increase if there is less street lighting as pedestrians and cyclists will be harder to spot. Residents in the areas piloting the scheme are concerned as they believe that turning off street lights will increase crime and vandalism.
So if switching off street lights will save money, will the authorities pass these savings on to taxpayers like me by giving us a Council Tax rebate? I doubt it.
Also, what if someone gets mugged in the dark and decides to take legal action against the council responsible for switching off the lights, because he/she believes the reduction in street lighting is linked to the crime?
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