Government can’t afford new bulb for Limavady streetlight

Meadowvale Park resident Lawrence Smith, along with a neighbour, recently contacted Mayor of Limavady Alan Robinson for help replacing a faulty bulb in a streetlight near his home.

The Mayor later got in contact with County Hall in Coleraine, which he said is usual practice, only to be told that there was no longer any budget for streetlight repairs.

Mr Robinson said the situation resembles that of a ‘third world country’ and expressed serious disappointment that the money for a new light bulb could not be found.

Local resident Lawrence Smith said: “Is this the 21st century or is it the 16th century? They had lamps on the streets in the 16th century didn’t they?

“It is a cul-de-sac and the streetlights are definitely needed here.

“There are elderly people living here and you have to think about the potential impact on crime.”

Mayor of Limavady Alan Robinson said: “I know the budget crisis is bad but this is something else.

“It is like something out of a third world country. I was contacted about the streetlight and, as usual, I contacted Roads Service in County Hall asking if the streetlight could be repaired. I was told that the message has come down from Belfast to say that there is no money in the budget for general maintenance. I immediately thought ‘that can’t be right’ but after looking into it, it turned out to be true. It really is like third world stuff.”

Lawrence Smith said: “One of my neighbours suggested that if things are that bad maybe we should pay for it ourselves. We pay our taxes the same as everybody else.

“It is very dark in this cul-de-sac and there are a lot of elderly people. I think it is very strange if the system is so bad that we can’t get a new lightbulb. We’re very distressed.”