60
JUNE 2021
LIGHTING JOURNAL
Light on Westminster
PARLIAMENTARY
PURPOSE
In the first of a new occasional column going behind the scenes on lighting issues at Westminster, Liberal Democrat Peer Chris Rennard outlines how the ILP is engaging with the work of two new lighting-related allparty parliamentary groups By Chris Rennard
T
he April edition of the Lighting Journal caught my eye for its cover feature on Whitfield Gardens in Camden (‘All the people’, vol 86 no 4). An overgrown and unwelcoming public square, and a space that felt unsafe for many, has been transformed. Sensitive and appropriate lighting has been critical to making it feel warm, welcoming, and safe. It made me reflect on some of my recent virtual meetings with MPs and Peers as we considered lighting issues. Whilst few parliamentarians have been able to participate physically in the chambers, debates and committees have continued and (much like for the rest of the population) Zoom or Teams has enabled as many meetings of all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) as ever. The journal has previously reported on how different groups of MPs and Peers have met to consider the issues of dark skies and the night-time economy (‘Star bright’, January 2021, vol 86 no 1 and ‘MPs focus on night economy’, February 2021, vol 86, no 2).
DARK SKIES APPG
The initiative for an APPG to look at dark skies came from Andrew Griffith, MP for Arundel and South Downs, and Lord Martin Rees of Ludlow, the Astronomer Royal and former president of the Royal Astronomical Society. The group received almost 200 submissions in response to its call for evidence. It then published the document Ten Dark Sky
policies for the government [1]. The ILP, led by Technical Director Peter Harrison, provided expert guidance on the recommendations. Policies at all levels of government need to help reduce obtrusive light. They should discourage the installation of inappropriate products that are too powerful and which can be left on all night, causing glare and distress to neighbours, and spoiling the night environment. More local authorities need to follow best practice in implementing policies that embrace variable lighting levels to their street lighting as need changes during the night. Above all, better education and the involvement of lighting professionals in drawing up appropriate policies is required.
NIGHT ECONOMY APPG
The aims of the APPG for the night-time economy are not necessarily contradictory. Economic recovery post pandemic requires people returning to town centres at night, and visiting tourist attractions in the evenings and so on. The relevance of lighting to public safety can be disputed, but fear of crime can certainly be mitigated by good lighting, combined with appropriate use of CCTV. Home Office minister Kit Malthouse told MPs in March that the government’s Safer Streets Fund would get an additional £20m in 2021/22 on top of £25m in 2020/21 [2]. This is to support 52 areas across England and Wales that are persistently and
disproportionately affected by neighbourhood and acquisitive crimes, such as burglary, robbery and theft. He said: ‘The fund is being used by Police and Crime Commissioners to invest in well evidenced, physical crime prevention measures, such as improved street lighting and CCTV.’
ILP EVIDENCE GATHERING
The ILP is therefore writing to these commissioners pointing out that: ‘Creating the safe and attractive environments requires considerable expertise in planning and installing lighting systems. The issue is not about “brighter is better”, but what is appropriate, pleasant, and makes people feel safer.’ The Institution is asking the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners what advice it is giving to its members in relation to this and offering to assist it with this task. It will be interesting to gauge what sort of responses the ILP receives and, in turn, how this evidence can be fed back into the work MPs and Peers are doing in Parliament. Watch this space!
Chris Rennard has been a member of the House of Lords since 1999 and is a Liberal Democrat Peer
[1] ‘Ten Dark Sky policies for the government’, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dark Skies, December 2020, https://appgdarkskies.co.uk/ [2] ‘Urban Areas: Safety’, Question for Home Office, UIN 167171, tabled on 11 March 2021, UK Parliament, written questions, answers and statement, https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-03-11/167171
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