STREET lights in Basildon are set to be “on all night and at full brightness from the autumn of this year” – a council boss has said reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
Basildon Council says it’s working with Essex County Council to light up the borough after “frequent concerns from residents.” Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of the council, told a full council meeting it’s what the residents want to see.
Mr Callaghan said: “One of the frequent concerns from residents is street lighting, so we will work with Essex County Council to turn the street lights back on across our borough. We will work ensure they will be on all night and at full brightness from the autumn of this year.”
It is hoped it will help issues like crime and support those working late nights or shift patterns. Former Labour councillor and Laindon resident Pat Rackley said: “It’s a big problem and affects workers like carers and people who work shifts and I think it will help people. I think it can be done and does need a bit of determination. I am unsure about how much is saved with the lights off.”
Basildon Council has paid to keep lights on, which are operated by the county council, in the past, fitting the bill of hundreds of thousands of pounds. In November 2019, Basildon Council brought full-time night street lighting back to the town after it was axed it in 2014. In 2023, the council was roughly paying about £300,000 a year.
A spokesperson for Essex Highways said: “We work closely with Basildon Council on a range of highways and lighting matters, however we’re not aware of any formal request to return streetlights in Basildon to full brightness. We encourage residents to report any issues with streetlighting through our online Tell Us tool at www.essexhighways.org/tell-us.”
