Campaigners challenged over street light claims

A petition that suggests Devon’s biggest council is altering street light timings and brightness in Exeter is “simply not correct”, according to the person overseeing changes across the county.

More than 1,600 people have signed a petition that asks Devon County Council to pause plans it claims the authority has aimed at “dimming and turning off street lights in Exeter”.

But Councillor Dan Thomas (Liberal Democrat, South Brent & Yealmpton), the cabinet member for highways, said decisions around the street lighting regime in Devon did not impact the city in ways being claimed.

Changes such as earlier switch-off times and further dimming were suggested for market towns and rural locations, as well as residential areas of Exeter outside the city centre where part nightlighting has been in place for around a decade.

The council stated the decision by its cabinet last month does not affect streetlights in the city centre, nor switch off times in residential areas outside the city centre.

In areas that already have the switch off in place, the lights will be dimmed from 9:30pm until they switch off at 12:30am.

Street lighting on main roads remains unchanged, and decisions about other areas of Devon do not alter switch-off times in Exeter, Cllr Thomas said.

“There’s been some confusion in the press and on social media about our decision last month to continue with our programme of earlier switch off and dimming in parts of the county,” he said.

“That decision follows a carefully-conducted, year-long pilot in which we’ve monitored impact and residents’ feedback.

“However, the city of Exeter has its own separate bespoke lighting regime, which recognises its unique nighttime economy and reflects feedback from earlier trials.”

The petition, started by Rose Lelliott, who is running for Labour in the upcoming Exeter City Council elections in May, called for “meaningful engagement” around the issue of the safety of women and girls, including “consulting directly with female residents in the city and with community groups on the impact of poor street lighting”.

The petition asks the council to “pause the new street lighting initiative until meaningful engagement has taken place on the safety of women and girls, including consulting directly with female residents in the city and with community groups on the impact of poor street lighting”.

However, Devon County Council worked closely with Devon and Cornwall Police and Exeter University Student Guild throughout the streetlight trial, including with specialist crime prevention teams. And Cllr Thomas was specifically asked to consider violence against women and girls as a factor in the trial.

Neither the police nor Guild raised objections in principle, and in areas where concerns were identified, changes were made.