Street lights switch-on appeal faces refusal
Councillors are being advised to reject a call for thousands of street lights across Shropshire to be switched back on after midnight.
More than 850 people have signed a petition asking Shropshire Council to reverse a policy which has so far seen around 5,000 street lights switched off between midnight and 5.30am.
Concerned residents say they would like the lights back on to help deter crime and make people feel safer in their homes.
But a report going to the council's environment and services scrutiny committee on October 7 has advised councillors to keep the current policy, which will eventually affect 12,600 street lights throughout Shropshire.
Ron Buzzacott, highways and transport manager for Shropshire Council, said maintaining the current policy will allow the council to reduce its carbon emissions and save more than £165,000 a year in energy costs.
The petition began after a burglary at a property in Shrewsbury over the Easter weekend.
It has been signed by 854 people, with most coming from the north of the town.
The report said that in northern Shrewsbury, the number of crimes reported between April and June last year – when lights were on all night – was 11. In the same period this year there were 10 reported crimes.
A task group looking at reducing crime has not requested a review of the current approach, the report adds.
The council operates 18,300 street lights around the county and had identified more than 6,000 as being "crucial to public safety", which will remain in constant operation.
While the street lighting reduction is anticipated to result in savings of £165,600 on energy and £12,800 on Carbon Tax per year, the report did reveal the cost of implementing the part-time system has been in the region of £200,000.
Mr Buzzacott's report said: "The existing process of risk assessments has been applied fairly, consistently and equitably across all street lighting which is owned and maintained by Shropshire Council.
"Checks and balances are already in existence to account for any changes in crime or anti-social behaviour patterns that may arise between the hours of midnight and 5:30am and to make the appropriate changes when such problems are identified."
