Southampton: Consultation on street lights plans begins

Turning off some street lights could save Southampton City Council £450,000 a year

Residents are being asked to have their say on plans to switch off street lights at night to save money.

The proposals, which would affect some areas of Southampton, were backed by city councillors but have also led to concerns about safety.

A final decision is yet to be taken and a public consultation will run until 10 January.

The city council proposed the move as it revealed that its overall energy bill could rise by almost £5m by 2024.

Concerns have been raised over the impact of the plans on safety and crime.

But the authority said some areas could be exempt based on their crime rates and levels of anti-social behaviour.

Council leader Satvir Kaur said all local authorities were having to respond to increases in demand and the cost-of-living crisis.

"The tsunami of additional costs we are facing are adding significant pressure to services that are already extremely stretched and it is getting more and more difficult to protect the frontline services on which everybody depends," she said.

But she also stressed that the authority remained "ambitious" for the city.

Turning street lights off is one of the measures the city council might take as it faces a £28.9m shortfall in next year's budget.

Earlier this month an official report revealed that street lighting cost the council £954,000 in 2021-22, and it is estimated this could increase to £3,017,000.