Leaving the lights on ain’t too bright

Wiltshire Council is wasting energy and taxpayers money all night long

In case anybody in Wiltshire was taking the Conservative Administration on Wiltshire Council seriously on their promises to cut waste and pollution, County Hall in Trowbridge remains fully-lit all night, every night.

Councillor Howard Marshall, Lib Dem Environment Spokesperson, slammed the Council for their cavalier attitude: "These lights act as a beacon to the people of Wiltshire, spreading the message far and wide that the Council isn't serious about fighting climate change, the Council isn't serious about saving taxpayers money, and the Council isn't taking Wiltshire people seriously at all. Even while the Conservative Administration are tucked up in their beds at night, they've still found a way to waste public money."

Wiltshire is already reeling from the £600,000 fine handed down to the council for excess pollution, a sum that will jump up next year as the government's Carbon Reduction Commitment kicks into gear. Within Wiltshire we contribute more than most to the UK's Carbon footprint, creating 12% of the South West's carbon emissions.

Lib Dem Councillor Jon Hubbard, Leader of the Opposition on the Council, said: "The people of Wiltshire care about the environment, and they don't want their Council Tax so blatantly wasted, but time and again simple requests for energy conservation have been ignored by Wiltshire Council. The Conservative Administration has demonstrated yet again, that when it comes to listening to the people of Wiltshire, the lights are on but nobody's home.'