Coventry Live readers have raised concerns over the council’s decision to switch off street lighting at night, sparking heated debate over safety and crime rates. The controversial policy, implemented as a cost-saving measure, has divided the community.

The decision to switch off around 70% of street lighting in Coventry from midnight to 5am was given the green light by councillors in February and has been phased in since May 2024. The council said the measure was necessary due to budget constraints and the need to reduce energy consumption.

There is general consensus among supporters of the petition that restoring nighttime street lighting is essential to improve safety and deter criminal behavior.

Read more: Stacey Solomon confirms she’s back in Coventry to help a loving family

One of our readers, Herald62, said: “We have become so disconnected from the real world in recent years, 24 hours of light is not natural. I suggest instead of moaning, go outside and enjoy the night sky that is now visible.”

Sonicadam132 chimed in with: “Do criminals develop night vision when they break the law, or are they born with it? People claim to have night vision somehow. And how many people are awake and out and about anyway?”

Shelly7474 said: “The municipal tax will go up if they reintroduce it.” Skyblue2 replied: “It’s going up anyway and by the maximum they can reach.”

Gemma Ats predicted: “More crime for Coventry. My friend’s van with the expensive work equipment was stolen as soon as the street lights went out. The other one was robbed while walking her dog. But who cares, guess what? No, they don’t even care.”

Chr15R asked: “How is it possible that the short tunnel on the ring road is lit 24/7? I can think of a million other ways the city can save money.”

Mouse111 said: “People can demand as much as they want, but the lights won’t just come back on. I have yet to see any figures that show crime has increased since the lights were turned off.”

Lopib said: “Since then, theft has increased and you can’t even go outside without knowing that someone is lurking. It will only get worse.”

Remllov said: “When Coventry got new lighting all over the city, they said the lighting was the latest technology and could be controlled at different brightness levels. So why would you have to turn the lights off completely instead of dimming them?”

Nicfontain responded: “The council has signed a ridiculously long-term contract for energy inefficient light bulbs. Other local authorities have opted for energy efficient LEDs. I wonder why a council employee would help Balfour Beatty by using our council tax money to buy their outdated and energy inefficient stock?”

Loolaa added: “If they want to save money why not put solar panels on most of the street lights and use the mains in the winter? Seems logical to me, instead of taking people back to the dark ages, this is what they did to us. We live on country lanes and yet only have street lights on one side of the road and they still turned them off, dangerous.”

Twitchycleaver said: “This council is acting like a dictatorship. Their ‘consultation’ consisted of 36 responses, many of which were negative! They have also overspent on multiple projects worth a total of £14 million. Please try to close that ‘funding gap’ and give us our lights back!”

Carole commented: “The council tax should cover the street lighting. The CCC is broke and wants us to pay their debts. I want the street lighting on. It’s unsafe in complete darkness, back to the middle ages.”

Is there a compromise possible in the street lighting debate? Let us know in the comments below or HERE.

Sign up here to our FREE daily newsletter and receive the latest news from Coventry.