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101535
registered interest false more like this
date less than 2014-10-29more like thismore than 2014-10-29
answering body
Department for Communities and Local Government more like this
answering dept id 7 more like this
answering dept short name Communities and Local Government more like this
answering dept sort name Communities and Local Government more like this
hansard heading Lighting more like this
house id 1 more like this
legislature
25259
pref label House of Commons more like this
question text To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the level of street lighting they should have in place. more like this
tabling member constituency Bury St Edmunds more like this
tabling member printed
Mr David Ruffley more like this
uin 212384 more like this
answer
answer
is ministerial correction true more like this
date of answer less than 2014-11-06more like thismore than 2014-11-06
answer text <p><ins class="ministerial">Street lighting plays an important role in road safety, as well as ensuring the personal safety of pedestrians. I refer my Hon Friend to the answer of 13 May 2014, Official Report, columns 535-36W, which provides a comprehensive answer on how there is no prescriptive Whitehall guidance, and places in context the policy of the last Administration which actively encouraged cuts to street lighting.</ins></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><del class="ministerial">Street lighting plays an important role in road safety, as well as ensuring the personal safety of pedestrians. There may be some roads where lights could be dimmed in the very early hours, saving taxpayers’ money. However, this should be a local decision by elected local councillors, reflecting local circumstances-specially in relation to any concerns about crime. Equally, not every neighbourhood wants street lighting, as some communities, especially in rural areas, value dark skies.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">We believe that councils should listen to the views of their local residents, and then adopt appropriate local policies based on the neighbourhood, the precise location and the usage of the road/street. I previously noted that “Manual for Streets” contains some useful guidance on getting the balance right when providing street lighting, taking into account the different issues around safety, crime prevention, street clutter and light pollution. Ultimately, there is no prescriptive Whitehall guidance, and any assessment will depend on local circumstances and local views.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">Notwithstanding, I would observe that Her Majesty’s Opposition seem to have a short memory about their actions on cutting street lighting when they were in office:</del></p><p><del class="ministerial"><em>Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs</em><em>:</em></del></p><p><del class="ministerial">The right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn) (now Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government) when Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, his Department and its quangos lectured local councils to switch off or reduce street lighting to minimise carbon emissions. For example, in 2007, he personally launched the Carbon Trust Standard, which was tied to an extensive programme to reduce street lighting as part of the Local Authority Carbon Management Programme. As DEFRA Ministers told the House:</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">“All authorities should be seeking to reduce energy usage both to cut costs and to help combat climate change. As street lighting accounts for a significant proportion of the energy used by authorities, it should be readily identified as an area that should be examined for potential efficiency savings”</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">(6 November 2006, <em>Official Report</em>, column 709W).</del></p><p><del class="ministerial"><em>Department for Transport</em><em>:</em></del></p><p><del class="ministerial">The Minister of State for Transport, the noble Lord Adonis (now a Shadow Treasury Minister) when asked about reducing the hours of operation of street lighting, noted that</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">“the Government also support the Carbon Trust’s local authority carbon management programme, which provides councils with support and guidance to help them realise carbon emissions savings from street lighting”</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">(17 December 2008, <em>Official Report</em>, <em>House of Lords</em>, column WA52). Transport Ministers also endorsed the Highways Agency’s</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">‘Efficiency Strategy for Road Lighting’ which led to switching off motorway lighting at night (21 April 2008,</del></p><p><br /><del class="ministerial"><em>Official Report, </em>column 1444W; Highways Agency</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">“Efficiency Strategy for Road Lighting Midnight Switch Off for Motorway Lighting”, 2009).</del></p><p><del class="ministerial"><em>Department for Communities and Local Government</em><em>:</em></del></p><p><del class="ministerial">The right hon. Member for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) (now Shadow Home Secretary), when as Minister in the precursor Department to DCLG, noted there was nuanced debate on the extent of street lighting:</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">“We all recognise the fact that there is a series of tensions around light pollution. People in the cities will never have the same view of the night sky as one can get in the middle of Dartmoor... There can be tensions too at neighbourhood level between the security-obsessed householder who has glaring white security lights stuck to every corner of the house, which flicker on every time a little bird flies past or the cat runs across the garden, and the neighbour who... has a telescope and cannot see across the garden, let alone into the skies”</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">(12 February 2004, <em>Official Report</em>, column 510WH).</del></p><p><del class="ministerial"><em>Department </em><em>of</em><em> Energy and Climate Change</em><em>:</em></del></p><p><del class="ministerial">In 2008, the right hon. Member for Leeds East (Hilary Benn) also personally launched the Carbon Reduction Commitment, which resulted in councils cutting carbon emissions from street lighting, including dimming or switching off lights. The Highway Agency’s “Energy Strategy for Roadside Equipment” (April 2010) explained that the approach of “dimming, trimming and partial night lighting” was a consequence of the requirements to meet the Carbon Reduction Commitment. As DECC Ministers said to the House:</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">“DECC is working to include street lighting in the Carbon Reduction Commitment. This will provide an incentive for local authorities to improve the energy efficiency of street lights. DECC is working closely with Communities and Local Government to develop the policy, in so far as it relates to local authorities”</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">(19 June 2009, <em>Official Report</em>, column 515W). Of course, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change at that time was the right hon. Member for Doncaster North (Edward Miliband) now Leader of HM Opposition.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">I hope this illuminates the historical fogginess of the Labour party’s current campaign on municipal street lighting. I would suggest the last person out of Labour HQ tonight should turn off the lights.</del></p><p> </p>
answering member constituency Keighley more like this
answering member printed Kris Hopkins more like this
question first answered
remove filter
question first ministerially corrected
less than 2014-11-10T17:19:10.1286961Zmore like thismore than 2014-11-10T17:19:10.1286961Z
answering member
4043
label Biography information for Kris Hopkins more like this
previous answer version
26617
answering member constituency Keighley more like this
answering member printed Kris Hopkins more like this
answering member
4043
label Biography information for Kris Hopkins more like this
tabling member
133
label Biography information for Mr David Ruffley more like this