Cheshire East adopts falls prevention strategy - after lights off plan

A report to today’s (Monday) adults and health committee stated around 2,275 people aged 65 and over in Cheshire East are admitted to hospital each year following a fall.

The strategy deals primarily with preventing falls for the elderly and vulnerable inside the home, but the public consultation revealed more people were worried about falls outside the home and what the council could do to prevent them, such as fixing pavements.

Cllr Nicola Cook (Image: Cheshire East Council)

Sandbach councillor Nicola Cook (Ind) told the committee: “The strategy addressed in detail what might happen to those who are over 65 who fall in the home but the consultation highlights people have got concerns about footpaths, about gritting, about A-boards and I’m concerned that that isn’t addressed within the strategy.”

Director of public health, Dr Matt Tyrer, indicated this was outside of this particular committee’s remit.

“Issues with the public realm that result in potential increased risk in falls outside of the home falls under the remit of the local transport plan and other elements within the place directorate,” he said.

On Thursday (July 20), Cheshire East’s highways and transport committee voted to consult the public on plans to switch off some streetlights across the borough to save energy and reduce costs.

The report to highways stated: “There is likelihood of increased risk of slips, trips and falls, traffic collisions and actual, or perceived, risk of crime. There is also likely to be a greater impact on individuals with particularly protected characteristics, including the elderly, disabled and women.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked councillors about the apparent inconsistency of consulting on proposals to switch off streetlights while, at the same time, adopting a strategy to try and prevent falls among the elderly.

Cllr Janet Clowes (Image: Cheshire East Council)

Speaking after today’s adults and health committee meeting, Conservative group leader Janet Clowes (Wybunbury) told the LDRS:  “Councillors have raised the issue of streetlighting and gritting as significant causes of falls, particularly in the elderly outside their homes, and it’s really disappointing there doesn’t seem to be any joined-up thinking between what is happening in the adults committee as they launched their falls strategy today and last week’s highways committee where they’re actually proposing switching streetlighting off.

"This needs further consideration and, unfortunately, because decisions are already being made and approved, time for actually doing that seems to have passed without people realising.”

Cllr Laura Crane, vice-chair of highways and transport, said: “None of us want to be consulting on switching off the streetlights. It isn’t something we would choose to do if we weren’t forced to consider some difficult choices when it comes to the budget. The problem we have is we don’t have enough money to do everything.”

Cllr Laura Crane (Image: Cheshire East Council)

When asked about different departments and committees appearing to work separately, Cllr Crane (Lab) insisted the teams are working together.

“There is a lot that’s being done, especially between highways and transport and adult social care and children and families – the home school transport is a prime example of where we’re working much better together now,” said the Sandbach councillor. “But we are having to make difficult decisions.”

She added: “We haven’t decided to switch the streetlights off at this point in time. It’s a consultation and we need to work out how we go about it, if we go about it. That decision won’t be made until January.”

The public consultation on the streetlighting energy saving options is due to take place in September and October.