Plan to turn street lights off for longer at night

Essex County Council has said extending part-night lighting and introducing more LED bulbs would save £1.3m next year

Planners have proposed increasing the hours that Essex's street lights are switched off at night.

About 70% of street lights in the county, excluding Southend and Thurrock, are switched off between 01:00 and 05:00 to save money and reduce carbon emissions.

Lee Scott, Conservative cabinet member for highways maintenance and sustainable transport, said a "small" two-hour increase to 00:00-06:00 would be discussed at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Both the Labour and Liberal Democrat opposition have raised concerns about safety.

Lib Dem Mike Mackrory was worried about the effect on Chelmsford's economy, although some of the lights, including these pictured in Springfield Road, already remain switched through the night

Essex was one of the first authorities to introduce part-night lighting in 2014.

Lights at major interchanges, such as roundabouts, remain switched on throughout the night.

Harlow and Basildon district councils pay Essex to keep their lights on all night and likewise for parts of Epping.

The county council had a forecasted net expenditure of £7.54m on street lighting in its 2022-23 budget, although Mr Scott said what it paid per kilowatt had gone up "eight to tenfold".

"Before anything happens that [part-night lighting proposal] will go to full consultation," said Mr Scott, speaking to BBC Essex, who also said the police would be consulted.

'Unsafe'

The council said the plan to replace more street lights with LED bulbs, and increase the part-night lighting hours, would save £1.3m in 2023-24.

Lib Dem group leader Mike Mackrory said he was concerned how the extension would affect a "vibrant night-time economy like Chelmsford".

"We would be concerned about the security and safety of the street lights being turned off earlier on pedestrian routes from the city centre to residential areas," he said.

Labour group leader Ivan Henderson said the move was "really worrying" for people such as nurses and carers, commuting before 06:00.

"This is adding more to an unsafe environment for those people," he said.

A report from the AA previously suggested reduced street lighting does not lead to an increase in crime or car crashes.

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