Street lights dimming consultation approved

Many areas already drop to 30% brightness after 10pm

A consultation on a plan to dim street lighting across Leicestershire has been given the go-ahead.

The county council will give residents a chance to have their say on a plan which would see lights across the county dimmed to 30% from 8pm each night.

Currently, many residential areas are lit at 50% brightness between 8pm and 10pm, and then drop to 30%.

The authority needs to save around £90m over the next four years, with more than £500,000 coming from the street lighting department alone, a report states.

Alternatives looked at included switching off all lights between midnight and 5.30am and only providing street lighting for half the year.

The council’s cabinet agreed dimming the lights earlier carried the fewest risks while allowing the savings to be made, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The consultation is expected to be launched in the coming weeks and the results considered by the council in December.

It will be a chance to explore the “risks, mitigations and any exemptions to the proposal”, the authority said.

Some roundabouts and major junctions could be excluded from the new lighting regime to reduce any dangers.

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