Leicestershire: Cost-cutting street light dimming plans approved

An 18-month trial of earlier dimming will start in February

Cost-cutting plans to dim street lights in Leicestershire earlier in the evening have been approved.

The majority of street lights in the county are currently dimmed to 30% brightness at 22:00 GMT each night but that will be bought forward to 20:00.

Leicestershire County Council's cabinet voted for the change at a meeting on Tuesday.

The proposal has proved unpopular with a number of residents who are worried about an increase in crime.

A survey, carried out by the council, showed 53% of people who responded disagreed with the idea.

The council, which maintains 69,600 street lights, said it had yet to determine the exact area that will be affected but plans to start an 18-month trial of the earlier dimming in February.

Risk assessments

It has said lighting in town centres, near zebra crossings and areas with traffic calming, will be exempt.

Cabinet member for transport and highways Ozzy O'Shea told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I want to reassure residents that this is an 18-month trial that we are participating in and we will review the trial at the end of that period with the police.

"We are working closely with the police and other emergency services.

"We will make sure this is a safe system. We will work with the police, we have done risk assessments, we will continue to do risk assessments."

The authority, which faces an £85m funding shortfall by 2028, said Leicestershire Police, East Midlands Ambulance Service and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service had raised no objection to the plan.

Officials said the council needed to make £500,000 worth of savings in its street lighting department alone by the 2024-25 financial year.

The plans will only save £380,000 due to the exemptions proposed, the council said, so more service reductions could follow.