Harwich’s Essex County Councillor, Ivan Henderson, is calling for the resignation of Conservative portfolio holder, Cllr Rodney Bass, after it was finally confirmed that Cllr Bass had misled the people of Essex in a recent radio interview.
Speaking on BBC Essex’s Peter Holmes Show on 17th May Cllr Bass stated,
“It is very important for any council to carry out the proper risk assessments in determining when and where it puts its street lights out at night and, of course, we’ve done that.”
Having listened to the interview, Ivan Henderson requested a copy of the risk assessment report for the Tendring District and, having had to repeat his request and having waited almost three weeks for an answer, was finally advised as follows:
Dear Cllr Henderson
Thank you for your email of today’s date addressed to Joanna Killian. Firstly, please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your original
enquiry dated 21 May 2014.
I can advise that there are no individual risk assessment reports for each District. The exception criteria was applied to each District and reviewed during
The consultation process and this was published in the Key Decisions for each District. The knowledge gained during the Part Night Lighting trials in
Uttlesford and Maldon reinforced the use of the exception criteria.
Ivan Henderson says
“Cllr Bass was speaking to the people of Essex and he misled them. It is bad enough that the safety of residents was put at risk by not having the risk assessments carried out but to then claim that they had been shows a level of desperation that cannot continue. He should resign immediately and the lights should go back on immediately. Every Essex County Councillor now knows that this policy was introduced without the necessary safety checks and no county councillor should allow this to continue.”
For further information please contact
Ivan Henderson on 07889 367822