Council's services cuts = council tax cuts?

dilby

Following many local council's recent announcements to switch off certain streetlights in order to 'save money and protect the environment', I , like possible many other people on this forum, find myself in a dark street at night. I actually live near a few pubs, and my street isn't just dim - it's pitch black. My car and indeed my home are sitting ducks for vandals and thieves. Currently, I am resorting to leaving my inside house lights on at night. I spoke to my local council, and I was told I would need to lobby my local counsellor to have the lights turned back on. However, I can't help but feel a bit frustrated to have to lobby for something that I'm actually paying for. If nothing can be done to to turn the lights back on, does anyone here agree that it would be fair to ask for council tax to be lowered? Now I know this would kind of defeat the purpose of the council saving money - having to charge less in tax, but what do you all think? Following the councils' failed investments in Icelandic banks and the whole setting in of the financial crisis, all regions were promised that it would not affect services, however this does not seem the case.

drc

dilby wrote: »

Following many local council's recent announcements to switch off certain streetlights in order to 'save money and protect the environment', I , like possible many other people on this forum, find myself in a dark street at night. I actually live near a few pubs, and my street isn't just dim - it's pitch black. My car and indeed my home are sitting ducks for vandals and thieves. Currently, I am resorting to leaving my inside house lights on at night. I spoke to my local council, and I was told I would need to lobby my local counsellor to have the lights turned back on. However, I can't help but feel a bit frustrated to have to lobby for something that I'm actually paying for. If nothing can be done to to turn the lights back on, does anyone here agree that it would be fair to ask for council tax to be lowered? Now I know this would kind of defeat the purpose of the council saving money - having to charge less in tax, but what do you all think? Following the councils' failed investments in Icelandic banks and the whole setting in of the financial crisis, all regions were promised that it would not affect services, however this does not seem the case.

I totally agree with you and I think it's ridiculous that you are not getting the basic services that council tax is supposed to cover.

Is there any way you could progress this along the lines of your 'human rights' being abused? Seems that all kinds of criminals use this get out clause to good effect and its about time it was used by someone who actually sounds like they are a responsible citizen and whose human rights are being abused (in the sense that your right to a safe environment has been taken away from you).

Perhaps you could speak to your local Citizens Advice Bureau and ask them if you have any legal recourse as if you were to have an accident because you cannot see where you are going for example, the council might be liable? Just a thought.

Whatever you do, good luck and I am sure a lot of people out there agree with your principles.

ajbell

You are lucky , i would love my council to switch off the street lights so i could see the night sky.I hate what street lights do to the sky, that horrible orange glow.

maninthestreet

We are beginning to wonder what councils do with the money they raise from council tax - weekly rubbish collections are a thing of the past in some areas, and now we have reverted to pre-Victorian days in regards to street lighting. Strange how they always seem to have the money to pay for translating council documents into umpteen different languages and the pages of the Guardian are full of councils advertising for applicants for non-sensical jobs.