Herts County Council accused of “giving up on women’s safety” with big streetlight switch-off

Bethany Moxon, a Tanners Wood Lane resident, has previously called for better streetlighting on the street’s footpath, saying that the lights only illuminate the road rather than the footpath.

But, this month, the council confirmed that lights in Abbots Langley, including on Tanners Wood Lane, Oak Green, Shirley Road and Queens Drive, are among those that will now be switched off completely between 1am and 5am.

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Liberal Democrat county councillor for Abbots Langley and executive member for highways, said the move would save the authority £14,000 in yearly energy costs following “£50m of cuts from central government” and have a “meaningful impact” on the environment and the council’s budget.

Cllr Giles-Medhurst said all the affected streetlights in Abbots Langley were on private roads, and that the county council wanted to “align” the lights with those on other roads.

He emphasised that the streetlights affected “will still stay on until one o’clock in the morning”, and added that lights in alleyways and at “high visibility locations” such as railway stations would “still be on all night long”.

“We’re keeping safety at the heart of our approach, with lights at key locations remaining on all night,” he said.

But Ms Moxon said the county council is cutting back on street lighting in an area where women “already feel unsafe”, and continued: “It’s callous penny-pinching that will leave vulnerable residents less safe at night.

“We should be increasing streetlights, cutting back the foliage that blocks it, and encouraging residents to have more security lights on their homes – but the council is doing the exact opposite.”

The county council’s decision has also been opposed by Ian Campbell, a Conservative councillor for Abbots Langley on Three Rivers District Council.

He said: “Women’s safety is raised with me almost every week, and it makes me nervous for my wife, our kids and our village’s future.

“Three Rivers and now Herts’ Lib Dem leadership are costing Abbots Langley its reputation for safety.

“Abbots Langley’s Conservative councillors oppose these changes and will make our village feel safe again.”