EXCLUSIVE

by political editor Paul Francis

Streetlights could be switched off across parts of Kent in a drive to cut electricity costs.

County transport chiefs will consider a range of options to save both money and energy - but only if they're satisfied crime or accidents won't increase.

They include turning lights off completely, dimming others and phasing the timing at which lights are switched on.

The council has refused to say how much it might save but with 120,000 streetlights across the county, the savings from using less electricity could be substantial.

It plans a wide-ranging survey of every part of Kent to assess the potential for energy-saving schemes.

Conservative roads chief Cllr Nick Chard emphasised any proposal for either turning lights off or dimming them would only go ahead once police, emergency services and residents were consulted.

He said it was clear there were many roads where it was not necessary to keep lights on throughout the night.

In some areas, lights could be turned off for several hours whereas in others, it could mean turning them off half an hour earlier.

Cllr Chard said: "The amount of energy we use is vast and there are some savings we could make without in any way affecting the safety of the area or roads and we have to investigate it.

"Where we have lights that are burning all night with no positive impact, then we need to look and see whether they need to be on all night, whether we could dim them or only use alternative lights."

He added: "We are not going to impose this on anyone. There will be proper consultation with residents, particularly on roads where there are safety issues.

"We will liaise very closely with the police because if they have concerns, we will have concerns."

Cllr Trudy Dean, opposition Lib Dem leader at KCC, said she broadly welcomed the principle of trying to save money but that the safety of residents and motorists should not be compromised.

KCC's energy costs have soared in recent years in line with an industry-wide hike in prices.

This year, it expects to pay more than £4million for electricity for its bills and is facing the prospect of an unprecedented spending squeeze.

In its strategy, due to be unveiled next week, KCC says it will also encourage developers of new estates to limit the amount of streetlights and could impose limits on the hours they are switched on.

It also outlines proposals to replace potentially thousands of illuminated road signs and bollards with ones that are not.

What do you think of this plan? Post your comment in the box below.