We need get 1,000 or more signatures so that Reform county councillors can raise this issue at the next Full County Council meeting on October 21st? County Councillor Doug Bainbridge - Leader of the Reform Group of County Councillors - has agreed to raise the issue for Reform and the people of Hertfordshire on October 21st if we can get enough signatures to the petition.
County Councillor Giles-Medhurst, Executive Member for Highways, has stated (Abbots Langley safety fears ahead of streetlight switch-off, Watford Observer, 28 August 2025) that this policy will ‘save the authority £14,000 in yearly energy costs and have a “meaningful impact” on the environment and the council’s budget.’
These minor savings pale into total insignificance when set against the Council policy of introducing 20 mph speed zones across the entire county over three years at a cost of £7 million.
Scrapping this policy would achieve far greater savings than the estimated £14,000 annual savings claimed by County Councillor Giles-Medhurst.
Set against an HCC debt mountain of £500 million - requiring a daily debt-servicing payment of £84,000 - by imposing a policy of switching off street lights during the darkest time of the year is a concerning decision from people who are not serious about the safety and security of Hertfordshire residents.
The economic effects on Hertfordshire businesses will be as negative as the central government’s jobs taxes, which have effectively ruined the hospitality industry in Hertfordshire and the rest of our country
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