Vow to make South Holland residents feel safe on the streets

Council officials have pledged to do everything they can to help South Holland residents feel secure in the wake of the Sarah Everard case.

The Government announced it was doubling its Safer Streets fund to help provide better lighting and CCTV.

A South Holland District Council spokesperson said: “As a council we will always look to do everything we can to help our residents and visitors to feel safe in the district, and recent changes to enforcement in our car parks allows us to continue to explore ways of improving their provision, lighting, signage and bays for the benefit of everyone who uses them.

“We are also aware of the recent expansion of the Government’s Safer Streets fund, which can provide neighbourhood measures such as better lighting and CCTV. We are working with our partners, including Lincolnshire Police, to look for opportunities under the criteria that could help to make a difference in South Holland.”

There have been calls for Lincolnshire County Council to switch street lights back on, following a petition to keep the street lights on in Lincoln all night.

The county council responded that women’s safety is “about much more than street lights” and lighting has “no impact on night-time crime levels”.

Karen Cassar, assistant director for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “In 2018, two years after we made the switch to part-night lighting for some of our lights, the police confirmed they’d found no impact on night-time crime levels as a result of the change.”

But Lincolnshire Free Press readers said on social media that they would like to see more lights switched on across the Spalding area for longer - and footpaths where they are none.

Viv Smith said: “I live in Cowbit and the only street lights on is Barrier Bank. I’m a carer and sometimes I get called out in the early hours and I have to walk my dog in the early hours. It’s not nice and the ones in Cowbit go off at 11 o’clock at night. I’m a woman out on her own and anything could happen. So where does the council tax money we pay for street lights go to?”

The district council asked people to let them know of safety concerns or anti-social behaviour at: www.sholland.gov.uk/reportit, emailing communitysafety@sholland.gov.uk, or by calling 01775 761161.