OPPOSITION councillors have hit out at County Hall bosses after they poured scorn on proposals for LED lighting across Essex.

Liberal Democrat county councillors put forward a motion for cash to be set aside in next year’s budget to convert the county’s street lights to LED lights, in a bid to save energy and cash.

The Labour Party supported an amended motion at a council meeting.

Lights have been switched off as part of Essex County Council’s scheme to save cash and carbon emissions.

The motion was rejected after Tory councillors voted against the idea.

Harwich councillor Ivan Henderson said: “I am unhappy Tendring’s Conservative councillors who went along with the party whip and voted against the motion for LEDs, despite some of them having spoken in favour of them before.”

Conservative councillor Andy Wood said: “We voted against spending £65million on switching all the street lights in Essex.

“I just don’t think we can justify spending that amount of money.

“At the moment I’m more concerned with them having food on the table at Christmas time. There are bigger problems to deal with that need investment.

“If paying out this huge sum for LED lights means more council tax for my residents, I think it will have a real negative impact on those already having a hard time.”