Southport left in the dark – Sefton Council

Southport residents who have always felt Sefton Council ‘keeps them in the dark’ have just been proved completely right in two ways.

Firstly, the Council has decided that it is going to stop regularly reviewing street lighting in the Borough for failure.

From December 15th it will rely on members of the public reporting specific lights which have failed. Secondly, the way this decision has been taken within the Council and why it has been taken are both complete mysteries.

Councillors were sent an email letter by a Sefton MBC officer this week telling them that the entire local street lighting service was being put into the private sector.

“They say the change is being brought in on 15th December 2017,” says Southport Councillor Tony Dawson, “which must surely mean that the Council has already decided which firm is taking over the service. But as to who is getting the work – we are being kept in the dark.”

“And everyone is also being kept completely in the dark as to the precise reasons for the change. So, I have written to the Cabinet Member John Fairclough, asking him to ‘come clean’ with residents. What did the Council find wrong with their previous service? Why could this not be improved within the department? Will the new service be better and cheaper and, if so, by how much?”

“Recently the Council has been bringing selected previously-privatised services back in house. Perhaps Sefton’s recent Strand shopping centre purchase has given them a new capitalist perspective?”

*It has not yet been announced whether the new procurement is being done through an onshore or an offshore company and whether UK tax will be paid on the profits made.”

The service standards announced for the Council’s new private street lighting providers will be :

Repair of routine lighting faults (not including mains failures) – 5 working days
Repair of routine lighting faults (including mains failures) – 28 calendar days
Attendance to emergency faults both in normal hours and out of hours – 2 hours

Residents wishing to report street lighting faults can

(a) use Sefton Council’s online reporting tool on the Council’s Website https://www.sefton.gov.uk/4656

(b) Email the Street Lighting Team: streetlighting.enquiries@sefton.gov.uk

(d) write to the Council

“Just like the old service, if the new service does not deliver as promised after you report a fault,” says Councillor Dawson, “I urge residents to email their ward councillors.”

Repair of routine lighting faults (not including mains failures) – 5 working days

Repair of routine lighting faults (including mains failures) – 28 calendar days

Attendance to emergency faults both in normal hours and out of hours – 2 hours

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