Dear Sir
I can appreciate the County Council has to make cut-backs due to the decrease in Government funding however, it does worry me that public safety seems to be very much side-lined in their decision making when to my mind other cut-backs should come first.
For example, in these days when the majority of people can access the DCC website for Council services via telephone, tablet, computer or in the library (if they still have one) why are we still receiving booklets on a regular basis giving us this already readily accessible information?
The latest booklet to arrive by post yesterday, Your Guide to Council Services 2016, informs us that they have produced three different versions of the guide for different areas of the County. They said they were going to cut back on these booklets some time ago but that doesn’t appear to be the case. There are no adverts in the booklet to offset costs so it must be fully funded by DCC.
The Durham Devolution Survey is, according to the DCC website, costing between £200,000.00 and £230,000.00, haven’t we been down this road before? Doubtless it looks good giving residents a say however, will they take any notice of the results at the end of this expensive exercise? The majority of the electorate when they voted on whether to change to one large Unitary Authority, which in our case meant getting rid of Sedgefield District Council, said they did not want one big unitary Council it would be too remote etc. etc. The public voice was ignored they went ahead and we have yet to see an explanation of how they are using the supposed millions of pounds of savings.
Decisions are made on many occasions by Councillors who do not know our area so what chance do we have for sensible decision making if Councillors from as far afield as Newcastle, Sunderland and Alnwick are making decisions affecting a town they probably have no real knowledge of and have probably never even been here? Should the consultation be ignored this time, if there is a no vote, it is yet another great waste of public money.
If they have to cut back on street lighting why not start with the Durham City Lumiere? We have now had four of these admittedly spectacular events.  They have been commissioned by DCC and SUPPORTED by the Arts Council and a raft of sponsors. (Note that is supported by not fully paid for by). What our County Councillors should be asking is how much does it actually cost us the council tax payers including Officer and clerical time in the preparation of the event and extra street cleaning during and after the event and how much money comes back into the Council coffers from the event.
Of the twenty nine street installations one has to ask how many were run by electricity coming from the National Grid via street lighting? Even though LED lighting must be used in most cases how does this event impact of the Council’s street lighting bill?
Four nights of electricity for twenty nine installations plus rehearsals would I imagine go a long way towards paying for the thirty six street lights which they are intending to remove between Byerley Park and Thickly and Walker Lane not to mention the already removed lighting columns on the A167. The four events would probably have kept them lit for years.
How much are they paying the independent consultants to conduct a safety analysis on a column by column basis? Consultants don’t come cheap. If they are doing this County wide how many lights could be retained and for how long instead of expensive consultant costs? What price public safety?
Andrea Bergg.