RESIDENTS in Llay are “being kept in the dark” over Wrexham council’s failure to fix broken streetlights.

At a meeting of its community council, Cllr Rob Walsh said it was taking too long for the council to repair lights, some of which have been out for months, which was putting elderly and vulnerable people at risk.

Cllr Walsh said: “We’ve got quite a few streetlights out, but what’s more concerning is the length of time it’s taking for them to be fixed. The problem is, the council has such a high work load at the moment and they’re trying to get through it as quickly as possible, so although they have my sympathy, the fact is, it’s damaging confidence of people in the village because certain lights have been out for such a long time.”

One street which has been badly affected by the black out is Llay Court, and Cllr Walsh says there is a real danger that one of the elderly residents who lives there could easily fall over, such is the problem caused by the broken lighting.

Cllr Walsh added: “The village demands more and we need to try and get the council to fix them much quicker than at present.”

According to Cllr John O’Keefe, one of the biggest problems people face is the fact they are being kept in the dark over response times and if they were given a rough estimate for when repair work will be carried out, expectations would be better managed.

He said: “They send out a message saying it will be fixed within five days, but that never happens, and they know that themselves, so why don’t they just tell you the truth from the start? Why can’t they just be more up front and realistic about fixing them?

“Not telling us anything, that’s what’s causing the real frustration.”

Cllr Wynn Austin suggested financial penalties should be issued if repairs are not carried out within the five day time frame and the councillors have agreed to write to Wrexham council demanding an explanation as to why the service currently being offered is falling below the standards previously agreed and what (if any) penalties exist for not doing so.

It was also revealed at the meeting, that the Service Level Agreement between the Community Council and Wrexham Borough Council is up for renewal in April and the current situation could have a bearing as to whether the option to renew is taken up.