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InQuire The University of Kent’s student newspaper
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6 November 2015 Issue 11.6
Meetings Mondays at 6.15pm in KLT3
Queen at 45
Winter must haves
Prospects for millenials
Entertainment Page 14
Features Page 9
Comment Page 6
15 months of darkness: Only £550 saved by Council Natalie Tipping Editor-in-Chief
I
t has been confirmed that Kent County Council have saved only £550 over the 15 months of the streetlights at the bottom of Eliot Hill being switched off past midnight. Following a Freedom of Information request submitted by Kent Union President Tammy Naidoo, and VicePresident (Welfare) Rory Murray, the Council confirmed that the area at the bottom of Eliot Hill, encompassing St Michael’s Road, Salisbury Road, Lyndhurst Close, Beaconsfield Road, and Forty Acres Road, has saved the Council £550 since they were turned off in July 2014. The streetlights are currently switched off completely between the hours of midnight and 5:30am, which is an issue that has sparked debate over the past year from students residing on those streets and in the wider area who have to walk home in the dark. The scheme has been criticised as putting students at risk while they’re walking home after midnight. The Council have previously stated that the lights would be switched off in “areas where street lighting would not be installed today, and there would be no negative
Photo by Mikael F | Flickr
effect on the local area”. Rory Murray, one of the voices behind this latest development, thinks this is ridiculous. Speaking to InQuire, Murray said: “In terms of student safety, we’re talking about £45 a month that the Council isn’t prepared to pay, which we think is ridiculous to be completely honest.” When asked if anybody from the Union or the University had approached councillors about this, Murray said: “As of yet we haven’t spoken to councillors because the Council is currently going to consultation for the fourth time over this issue, and we really hope this time the student voice will be heard.” The Council’s Street Lighting Consultation Document, which has been released ahead of upcoming meetings concerning this issue, highlights that there are currently three options for the streetlights that have been turned off. Firstly, part-night lighting, which means that the current system will remain in place. The Council says that once the lights are converted to LED technology, which they aim to start early next year, the part-night lighting would save the Council around £5.2m annually. The second option is for allnight lighting, which, with LED
technology, would save around £4.8m annually. Although this still seems like a huge saving, the Council have warned that this would lead to financial cuts being made to other services. The final option is to dim the lights when the roads are less busy, meaning there would be partial lighting, but it would not cost as much as full lighting. This approach would save the Council approximately £5m a year. When asked what the preferred option would be for Kent Union, Murray said: “In an ideal world, all the lights would be turned back on in the areas our students are in frequently, but if that was no longer an option, dimming would be our preferred outcome. Ideally, all the lights in this area will be put back on. “The perception of students is that it’s not safe with the lights off, especially since it’s getting darker earlier in the evening now. Students should all feel safe when walking home, so hopefully a resolution can be found soon.” Students wanting to get involved with this discussion can give their views to the Council before 29 November by going to the Council website kent.gov.uk - and searching for the street lighting consultation document.