Lampposts will not be dimmed in crime hotspots, says council

STREET lights will not be dimmed in Birmingham’s crime hotspots as part of controversial council budget cuts, bosses have confirmed.

City council transport boss Cllr Waseem Zaffar vowed that safety was “absolutely paramount” as he defended a proposal to reduce lighting levels around the city.

The council needs to slash £50 million from its budget in 2019/20, including £18 million worth of ‘new cuts’, and recently launched a consultation on its savings plans.

One idea to claw back £150,000 was to dim street lights to 50 per cent between midnight and 5am – they are already at 70 per cent – and to shave five minutes from the times they turn on and off.

Speaking before the sustainability and transport scrutiny committee, Cllr Zaffar addressed concerns around crime.

He said: “I want to make it absolutely clear, the safety of residents and those visiting out city is absolutely paramount and will be taken into consideration. We will be working with neighbourhoods and the police and we will not be turning lights down in an area with safety concerns.”

Kevin Hicks, assistant director for highways and infrastructure, added: “For each location where this is proposed an assessment will be done in conjunction with the police and other organisations in relation to crime and safety.”

Cllr Zaffar also moved to clarify a further budget proposal to increase parking charges in Birmingham, confirming that this will only be in the city centre.

The move is expected to generate an extra £750,000 a year and is in line with the Clean Air Zone strategy which is ultimately to deter people using cars in the city and instead hop on public transport.

The council’s 2019/20 budget proposals can be viewed online at www. birmingham.gov.uk/ brumbudget19. Residents can submit feedback until the end of this month.