Leicestershire residents will soon see their street lights dimmed earlier in the evening.
Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet yesterday (December 19) approved the scheme which will see lights across the county dimmed to 30 per cent of their possible brightness from 8pm.
Currently, they are dimmed to that level from 10pm each night. Exemptions include zebra crossings, vertical traffic calming features such as speed bumps, and steps that are currently covered by lighting.
Town centres will also be exempt, but the exact area of that coverage is still to be determined, the report said. The scheme is set to be rolled out on an 18-month trial basis from February.
The plan has proven unpopular with local residents, with 53 per cent of those who responded to a council consultation on the plan saying they disagreed with it with many citing fear of crime and general vulnerability as their key concerns.
Lead member for transport and highways Ozzy O’Shea was keen to reassure members of the public that the authority would be working with the police to assess any impact on crime levels.
He said: “I want to reassure residents that this is an 18-month trial that we are participating in and we will review the trial at the end of that period with the police. The council wants to protect its residents. We are working closely with the police and other emergency services.
He added: “We will make sure this is a safe system. We will work with the police, we have done risk assessments, we will continue to do risk assessments.”
The county council’s cabinet was also keen to stress that the move is needed due to the desperate state of local finances.
The authority needs to identify £85 million worth of additional savings in the coming years – on top of £76 million that have already been found across general spending and SEND-specific funding – or it risks being unable to balance its books.
(Header image by Mtaylor848)
Officers have said the council needs to make £500,000 worth of savings in the street lighting department alone by the 2024/25 financial year. The plans, due to the exemptions proposed, will only cut around £380,000, meaning more service reductions could be on the cards.
In addition to the financial benefits, the plan also comes with environmental benefits, the authority has said. There will be a carbon saving of around 260 tonnes, the council added.
The council currently maintains approximately 69,600 street lights. There is no legal duty on the council to provide street lights, the authority added. However, once it is provided, the council does have a duty to maintain the system in a safe condition. If the council fails to do this and danger is created on the highways, it could be held liable.
The authority also has a responsibility to “do all that it reasonably can to prevent crime and disorder in its area”. The council said Leicestershire Police, East Midlands Ambulance Service and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service have raised no objection to the plan.
