By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans to switch off street lighting and seek Newtown Town Council and other community councils to contribute instead have been shelved.
A review into street lighting with a hope that town and community councils could pay for local lighting needs, saving £150,000, was dropped before Powys County Council even considers its budget at the end of February.
The departmental target will be reduced by £75,000 for this year and the proposal kicked into the long grass for a year.
Anti-poverty champion and non-aligned county councillor for Newtown East, Joy Jones, said that she was delighted that the cabinet had listened to concerns about switching the lights off.
She believes that switching off the lights would have allowed criminals to take advantage of the situation.
Cllr Jones said: “I am so pleased they have listened. This would have been a step too far for residents. Put council tax up and then remove street lights. It would also make the towns and county a lot more dangerous.
“There have been attacks, and we know Powys is an area being targeted by drug gangs as part of ‘County Lines.' Switching the lights off would mean a rise in crime.”
Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Recycling, Councillor Phyl Davies, said: “Cabinet has reviewed the savings proposed for street lighting and now proposes to reduce the 2019/20 savings target to £75,000, which will be achieved without significant loss of lighting provision.
“Proposals which could see lighting provision reduced significantly will be considered as part of a fundamental review of the service designed to deliver savings in the 2020/2021 financial year.”
For the 2019/20 financial year Powys County Council will have to make cuts of more than £9 million to make up the £14 million funding gap.
Another £20 million in savings will be needed over the next financial three years.
Residents have already been warned to expect a council tax hike of possibly 12 per cent.
For next year PCC will receive £174,290,605 from the Welsh Government which is a cut of 0.3 per cent.
