ESSEX County Council has rejected out of hand the £185,000 Colchester Council offered to get borough’s streetlights back on.

Borough councillors agreed to pay the cash to County Hall to end the controversial 1am-5am blackout – even though the county is legally responsible for street lighting.

However, a letter from Rodney Bass, Tory county councillor responsible for highways, has dismissed the offer as “a waste of public money”.

His letter goes on: “There is clearly-established protocol which enables a county councillor or the police to request a permanent override of the scheme in a particular street or locality, if there is any evidence the absence of lighting contributes to higher crime or accident levels.”

County Hall’s response angered leading Labour borough councillor Tim Young, who described Mr Bass as an “arrogant bully”.

Colchester agreed to pay after the death of pedestrian Nick Sherwood in an unlit St Andrew’s Avenue, in February.

He was hit by a car at 3.30am., but police have said the driver was not at fault and attributed part of the blame to the lack of streetlights.

Mr Young said under the circumstances, Mr Bass’s reference to turning the lights on being a waste of public money was insensitive.

He added: “Tell that to Nick Sherwood’s family. You cannot put a cost on a life.”

He also warned the decision might make Colchester withdraw support from moves to hand more Whitehall powers to the county council.

He said: “The response shows arrogance and it is becoming typical of Mr Bass.

“He wants to bully other councils, but I’m afraid he has bitten off more than he can chew here.

Colchester Council will not roll over.

“If that is the way county wants to treat us, the devolution process will be going nowhere.”

About 70 per cent of Essex’s streetlights are now turned off between 1am and 5am.

The lights were originally off from midnight until 5am, but the county council changed the switch-off time to 1am in March – except on Sunday nights, when they still go off at midnight.

County Hall insists there is no evidence crime or road accidents have increased as a result.

David Finch, Leader of Essex County Council, said: “Devolution is one of the most significant opportunities for Essex at the moment [and] comments such as these have the potential to set back months of hard work by partners across Greater Essex – including Colchester Borough Council.

“The previous Leader of Colchester Council clearly understood this and the benefits that devolution will bring to the residents of Colchester by negotiating more powers for all of Essex, not just Essex County Council.”