Council may switch off street lights to save cash

West Berkshire Council has launched a consultation on £2.1m of cost-saving measures

A council has proposed switching streetlights off overnight as part of a raft of measures designed to save money.

West Berkshire Council is launching a consultation on Monday about £1.2m worth of cost savings, which also include reducing the number of routes gritted over the winter.

The authority said turning the lights off on residential roads between the hours of midnight and 05:00 could save £50,000 a year.

Council leader Jeff Brooks said the it was having to make "increasingly difficult decisions" because of higher costs and increasing demand.

"Our funding doesn't go as far as it used to," he said.

The council said that due to large cost demands in social care, and especially children's social care, there had been a significant increase in the overall savings requirement needed for 2025-26.

It has forecast a deficit of £12.1m in total, as well as having already identified £3.3m worth of savings that do not need a consultation.

Also among the changes being consulted on are the discontinuation of the mobile library service, and an increase of general fees and charges.

West Berkshire Council said the priorities while making savings would include protecting vulnerable residents and minimising the impact on frontline services.