Budget Proposals 2025/26: Turn off streetlights in residential roads between midnight and 5am
Help us balance our budget.
Consultation status Open - 35 days left
Background
The Council provides much of the street lighting in West Berkshire. These streetlights are already dimmed up to 70% in residential locations to save energy. The current budget to maintain these is just over £1 million.
We have a team of officers and a Term Maintenance Contract with Volker Highways Ltd in place to deliver the full range of highway maintenance services.
Legislative and Statutory Requirements
In accordance with the Highways Act 1980, there is no statutory requirement for local authorities to provide public lighting. Councils do, however, have the power to provide lighting and once provided, have a duty of care to ensure that assets for which they retain responsibility are maintained in a safe condition.
What we are proposing
To turn off streetlights in residential locations between midnight and 5am. This will provide an annual saving of £52,000 (5% of the budget).
What we think the impact will be
This would affect approximately 8,900 streetlights and represent an annual energy saving of approximately 305,500 KWh or 59,000 kgCO2e. There are certain features on the Highway network which must be street lit (for example: traffic calming, pedestrian crossings) and these will be excluded from the switch off.
A and B roads will not be included due to the volume of vehicles and other road users on these routes.
There will be concerns about personal safety, and this may lead to a reduction in road safety for pedestrians and other road users. In mitigation, the Council are considering extending 20mph zones in residential areas which should reduce traffic speeds.
This will have an equal impact on all residents, and evidence from Essex County Council suggests that this does not lead to an increase in crime.
Please refer to the Equity Impact Assessment to see what has already been identified [247KB] .
What else we have considered before arriving at our proposal
Evidence from studies by UCL and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, assessing data from 62 local authorities, suggests that removing or reducing residential street lights at night, saves energy costs and reduces carbon emissions. It also found that there was no resultant increase in car collisions or crime.
Further, a study by the universities of York and Newcastle showed that it also has benefits for nocturnal wildlife. This assists the Council meet its strategy priority of "Tackling the climate and ecological emergency".
No other options to reduce expenditure in this area have been identified.
Why we want your views
We'd like to know what you think of our proposal, how it might affect you and the wider community, and any suggestions you may have on how we could minimise any potential negative effects, should we proceed. We'll also ask you a little bit about yourself, for example, if you're a service user or how old you are, but you cannot be identified from your answers.
How to take part
If you'd like to comment on our proposal, please complete our survey by midnight on Monday, 23 December 2024 which should take about 10 minutes.
If you have any questions about the consultation, please email lighting@westberks.gov.uk
What happens next
All feedback will be analysed by the service, and a recommendation made to elected Members as part of the budget papers for 2025/26 at the Executive meeting on Thursday, 13 February 2025. A final decision whether to proceed with the proposal will then be made by elected Members at the meeting of Full Council on Thursday, 27 February 2025.
The recommendations will also be reviewed and discussed by members of the Scrutiny Commission on Tuesday, 11 February 2025.
Shortly after the Full Council meeting, a summary of the responses we received and the decisions taken will be published on this page.
If the decision is made to proceed with the proposal, the change will be implemented from April 2025.
All meetings will be open to the public, and residents can attend either in person at the Market Street Offices or online. If you'd like to ask a West Berkshire Councillor a question at a public meeting, find out what can and can't be asked, and how to submit your question here.
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