PLANS to turn off tens of thousands of streetlights across Cornwall continue to cause debate.

Since 2012, Cornwall Council has been running an initiative to save funds by altering the brightness of streetlights across Cornwall. Now, the body is changing the period in which these lights are switched on all together.

However, as the scheme is rolled out across more of Cornwall, residents, councillors and even MPs have been expressing their concern about the darkened streets across the Duchy.

In 2025, Cornwall Council revealed that over the last 12 years ‘dimming is estimated to have saved over £2-million’. Despite these savings, the changes have caused a stir among locals as plans speed up to roll out the initiative across the county.

On June 29, Redruth Town Council voted in favour of opposing plans for a full night time switch-off in the town between midnight and 5am between Sunday to Thursday and “ultra-dimmed” street lighting for the same hours on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Redruth Town Council motion was tabled by Cllr Aaron Mays, Reform UK member for Redruth North. Cllr Mays urged his fellow councillors to call on the unitary authority to either exempt Redruth entirely from the scheme or grant a “dimming-only profile”.

The issue has also been raised in St Austell, where town councillors voiced their opposition.

After hearing that the scheme was due to make its way to the town, disappointment was expressed that town and parish councils, and the public were not formally consulted on the matter.

The council also highlighted the potential for more thefts and burglaries and there were concerns for vulnerable people including women and children.

As a result, the council joined Redruth in objecting to the matter. The town council voted by 10 to two to object to the streetlights being switched off or dimmed “due to the well-known ASB (anti-social behaviour) and crime issues in this area and the strong likelihood that ASB and crime will increase as a result of the additional periods of darkness”.

Jayne Kirkham, Labour MP for Truro and Falmouth, has even added her voice to growing concerns about the plans.

Ms Kirkham filmed herself walking through Falmouth before midnight, saying: “The streetlights are still on, which is great because you feel safer when you can see where you’re going and who’s behind you.

“We have a night life in Falmouth that runs way past midnight because the council granted licences for pubs and clubs to stay open until 3am. So, there will be women and men who’ve been out in the town or work in some of those clubs and pubs, and they’ll be walking home in the dark. It doesn’t seem quite fair or safe.”

The lights-off policy is being rolled out in batches of approximately 1,000 lights, with 10,000 currently switched off out of a potential 36,000 by the project’s end.

Having reportedly saved more than £2-million so far, the council estimates that once the project is complete £680,000 will be saved per year, equating to around £1,863 per night.