Terrifying Solihull areas will be no-go zones if council saves money by turning off street lights - warning
Solihull councillors voiced concerns at proposals to dim or turn off lights across the borough at night.
Just over half of English councils with responsibility for street lights have chosen to dim or switch them off overnight over the last decade, and Solihull Council is one of the last authorities in the West Midlands to consider it.
The proposal went before the stronger communities and neighbourhood services scrutiny board’s latest meeting on January 9.
Richard Timothy, the authority’s strategic lead – highways maintenance, told the board: “The aim is to determine the future of the street light service, specifically the central management system.
“That system is a means of communicating remotely with our street lights.
“It allows us to switch them off whether for an operational reason or energy saving purposes.”
The officer highlighted that Solihull Council is responsible for around 23,501 street lighting units, 2,595 illuminated road signs, and 1,727 bollards, saying it took “a lot of energy” to light them all.
The two options being proposed are to reduce energy usage by 25 per cent by dimming lights, or for a night “switch-off” of lights in the early hours. Any changes would be introduced later this year.
Solihull Council is facing a £6.8m deficit this financial year and officers have been instructed to look for savings.
Mr Timothy said the 25 per cent option could save around £500,000 while moving to part night switch off could offer savings of “£700,000 to £800,000” a year, based on current energy costs.
He said the difference on dimming would be “negligible” adding: “You wouldn’t know this has happened – but the costs would show it.”
But Councillor Alison Rolf said: “I had the misfortune of leaving Warwick Hospital at 3am in September last year. That was the first time I realised they turn their lights off. It’s horrible. It was really unpleasant driving. It was unnerving.”
Councillor Rolf added she would like to see what 25 per cent less energy on a dimmed light looked like in person, and the officer said that could be arranged.
Councillor Richard Holt said: “Blind and partially sighted people, it could have a massive impact. Dimming the lights could result in an accident. If someone has a nasty injury and the NHS is put to great expense to look after them, your local resident will not see that as a good saving.
“We put lights on for a reason. We may not have a duty but we do it because it is the right thing to do. Just because everyone else is switching off the lights doesn’t mean in Solihull it is the right thing to do.”
Councillor Laura McCarthy said: “I am really concerned particularly around women’s safety. It is already terrifying for most women to walk down the street at 3am in the morning. If the lights are off that is going to be just a no go area.”
Councillor Michael Carthew said: “I’m fully in support (of both proposals). We need to be finding ways to save money and electricity both for the climate crisis and for the dismal state of council finances.”
Chairman of the board Councillor Alan Feeney said: “I’m sensing a lot of trepidation and a need for more information around this before we go with it. Reading the room the board is not content to support either option”.
The board agreed to carry out a site visit to see dimmed lights for themselves and to revisit the proposals at the board’s next meeting in March after receiving more information.