Plaid Cymru councillors have accused the local Labour Party of misleading the public and acting irresponsibly in its opposition to switching off the county borough’s street lights.
Plaid-controlled Caerphilly County Borough Council is consulting with residents on four different options to switch off street lights in a bid to save cash and cut down on the authority’s carbon emissions.
Opposition Labour councillors and Caerphilly AM Jeff Cuthbert have attacked the plans and launched an online petition.
Plaid councillors have said Labour’s local opposition flies in the face of its own Government’s fight against climate change.
Councillor Colin Mann, deputy council leader and cabinet member for resources, said that Labour was trying to mislead the public and was acting irresponsibly.
He said: “The people of Caerphilly County Borough are currently being consulted by the council on four alternatives for turning off street lights and cutting our carbon emissions.
“The Welsh Assembly Government, led by Labour Sustainability Minister Jayne Davidson, has set a very challenging target on carbon reduction.
“Street lighting accounts for 27% of all carbon emissions by the council, so this is an area where even making small changes can make a big difference.
“Few people are using the roads in the early hours and, indeed, vast tracks of major roads like the M4 do not even have lighting.
“I’d be interested to hear from Labour how they would meet these significant carbon reduction targets but as usual they are full of empty rhetoric and are trying to mislead the public. This is party politicking without responsibility.”
Colin Mann said that if the public supported turning off some lights, it would help protect jobs and key frontline services as well as reducing carbon emissions.
Council leader Lindsay Whittle also hit back at Labour.
He said: “I will take no lectures from Labour. They are the party that has presided over a situation where Wales has the highest levels of severe child poverty in the UK.
“Research by charity Save the Children found that 96,000 Welsh children were living without basic necessities.
“This is Labour’s Wales, so really people in glasshouses should think very carefully before throwing anything.
“Since August when the issue of turning off lights was raised, the council has had its lowest ever financial settlement as a result of tightening purse strings from London and obviously we would be irresponsible if we did not review any changes in circumstances.
“Is Labour really saying we should keep on every street light when hardly anyone is using the roads in the early hours of the morning?”
Consultation on the street light switch off ends on February 5. Residents can have their say by visiting www.caerphilly.gov.uk
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