Lincolnshire council to review impact of street lights switch off

Lincolnshire county council will be conducting a review of its streetlights policy and IT provision.

The scrutiny review will look at the impact of the council’s new street lighting policy, which saw thousands of streetlights across the county turned off for part of the night to save £1.7 million from its £5 million annual street lighting budget.

The move has proved controversial with many residents, with local Hollywood actor Colin McFarlane also joining calls for the lights to remain on for the duration of the night.

The council’s leader Martin Hill told The Lincolnite previously that there were no plans to change the stance on street lighting and that there was no evidence the move had led to an increase in crime, but that the full impact would be under review.

The second review will look at how IT could enhance roles to further improve delivery of council services to the public.

It will consider ways of maximising the use of IT, the opportunities available to communicate better, such as Skyping, reduce the need for staff to travel long distances, and reduce the costs involved.

Councillor Robert Parker, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board said: “These two topics we’ve identified are current and important public issues.

“Councillors will delve deeper into the details to find out more, speak to individuals involved and service users and recommend any ways in which things might be improved.”

Lincolnshire County Council says the aim is to set up the panels by September and report back to the council within six months.