West Berkshire’s plans to reduce street lighting a concern says police and crime commissioner

Matthew Barber, police and crime commissioner (PCC) for the Thames Valley, says he has serious concerns about West Berkshire Council’s proposals to reduce street lighting across the district.

The proposals include several variants with the default and majority position that street lighting will be switched off between 12am to 5am, rather than remaining on all night as most lights currently do.

The council's executive committee has now put the matter, which will save the council £50,000, out to wider public consultation.

The PCC has expressed concern that proposals will present a significant risk to both public safety and public confidence.

“Badly-lit streets can exacerbate both the risk of crime and the fear of crime,” Mr Barber said.

“One of my greatest areas of concern is for the safety of women and vulnerable members of the public, particularly on a night out. While current proposals do not suggest changes in town centres around the night time economy, we know that both the fear of crime and the actual risk is not limited to town centres itself.

“We also know that the single biggest cause for safety concerns raised by Thames Valley residents on the Home Office StreetSafe reporting system is inadequate street lighting.

"Thames Valley Police has been leading the way nationally in the work to protect women, particularly in the night time economy, with operations such as Project Vigilant.

"The unilateral dimming or switching off of street lighting may jeopardise not just the confidence that has been built up, but also the safety of women in the county."

West Berkshire Council launched a public consultation this week to give residents the opportunity to have their say on how to balance its 2025/26 budget.

The proposals to generate income or save money come as West Berkshire Council prepares its budget for 2025/26.

When starting the budget-setting process the council was forecasting a deficit of £12.1m when considering its anticipated income against the cost of delivering services.

Around £3.7m in savings have been found that don't require consultation, and proposals which could deliver a financial benefit up to £1.2m which do.

They include turning off streetlights in residential roads between 12am to 5am and reducing the number of winter gritting routes.

A new scheme is also being proposed which, if approved, would see residents invited to donate to a charity led by West Berkshire Council to support local initiatives.

Introducing the consultation, the leader of West Berkshire Council, Jeff Brooks (Lib Dem, Thatcham West) said: "Every year we have to make increasingly difficult decisions about how to spend the money we receive.

“Higher costs and increasing demand mean our funding doesn't go as far as it used to, and this can only be resolved in the long term by central Government.

“Together with the other Berkshire authorities we are continuing to lobby them to address an issue which is fast becoming a perilous one.

"In setting the budget for next year we remain committed to working with other organisations and residents to deliver services we can be proud of.

“We want to feel proud of West Berkshire and keep investing in the district's infrastructure – and residents will see us continue to invest in leisure centres, schools and other projects important to current and future generations."

The consultation opened on Monday (November 11) and runs until midnight on Monday, December 23.