Tory equality councillor calls for Hove streetlights to be turned off

Conservative councillor Ivan Lyons said the streetlights in Mill Road, Hove, are a nuisance for bats living in the nearby undergrowth.

He also said the streetlights are a waste of taxpayer money, however Brighton and Hove City Council confirmed this is incorrect, as it pays a "flat rate" per street lighting column to cover the whole city.

Cllr Lyons argues the lights should only be on when the park-and-ride scheme from Mill Road to the Amex is running on Albion match days.

He asked Brighton and Hove City Council’s street lighting team to turn them off during the evenings, but the department declined.

“We were advised that the use of the lighting was to help prevent accidents by the railway tunnel,” said Cllr Lyons, who is on the city council’s equalities, community safety and human rights committee.

How Mill Road looks at night. (Image: Supplied.)

“The number involved is small and has not changed from before and after the installation of the lights.

“A Freedom of Information request to the council as to the cost of lighting this section of rural road has been made but to date no answer has been forthcoming.

“Clearly, saving taxpayers’ money is not a priority.”

Mill Road runs along the A27. (Image: Google Maps)

In fact, Cllr Lyons said the streetlights were “a luxury in a road not used by pedestrians” which another councillor disputes.

Green councillor Chloe Goldsmith, also on the community safety committee, has hit back at claims the streetlights are not needed.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when walking, wheeling, or cycling through our city after dark,” she said.

Cllr Ivan Lyons. (Image: BHCC)

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“While street lighting is only one part of the solution, it’s an important part, and any impact on public safety must be carefully considered when making changes.

“With days getting shorter over winter, turning off street lighting on a road which has a well-used path for pedestrians and cyclists along its whole length seems like a poorly thought-out proposal, and one which would disproportionally affect the safety of women and children.”

Councillor Trevor Muten, chairman of the city council’s transport and sustainability committee, agreed, saying public safety is the main concern.

“We understand the concerns raised about wildlife in relation to the street lighting in Mill Road. Protected species such as bats are important part of our city’s biodiversity," he said.

“Pedestrian, cyclist and driver safety always has to be our primary concern, and there are important road safety issues that mean we are unable to consider switching the street lighting off.

“There have been a number of incidents over the years with drivers going downhill misjudging the lay of the road before the railway bridge.

“Switching off the lights would not result in any financial saving, as we pay a flat unit rate city-wide per street lighting column to our electricity supplier to cover the whole city.”