Public concern over poor lighting in many of the city’s parks has prompted a Plymouth women’s safety campaigner to launch a petition calling on the council to urgently tackle the problem.
Charlotte Holloway says that, following the tragic murder of Bobbi- Anne McLeod, hundreds of women from across Plymouth have shared their experiences of violence against women with her and one issue which has come up time and time again is poor lighting.
“There’s much more that needs to be done to keep women and girls safe in our city beyond park lighting, but this is a clear area where Plymouth City Council can make a difference now,” said Ms Holloway, women’s safety campaigner and Labour Candidate for Drake ward.
“The council’s new commission on this subject won’t even report until March and given the strength of feeling across the city, women want to see greater urgency and action from our city’s leaders.
“So we are calling on the council to improve park lighting, starting with Central Park,” said Ms Holloway.
Her comments are backed by Councillor Jeremy Goslin, who covers Central Park and Peverell ward.
“Central Park is one of the best features of Peverell, but in the winter months many residents, especially women and girls, feel unsafe when using or crossing the park due to poor lighting,” said Cllr Goslin.
“If you want to walk your dog, go running, or cross the park to get home or to local destinations like the Life Centre you are faced with completely unlit or poorly lit paths or paths with sporadic lighting, such as here on Jubilee Way.”
Charlotte Holloway’s petition is available to sign at www.change.org/PlymParkLighting. Campaigners are also encouraging people to come forward with their suggestions of where they would like to see better lighting for improved public safety
The new commission – launched in a bid to tackle violence against women and girls – met for the first time on January 10. (See Rebecca Smith’s column below).
The group – made up of experts and agencies – will review what needs to be done to prevent violence in the city.
