Anger has been expressed over Oxfordshire County Council's "clumsy" handling of proposals to reduce streetlighting.

This comes after the council announced it will defer a decision on proposals to switch street lights off between 11.30pm and 6am following a large backlash. 

Entitled Dark Skies, these proposals were set to be discussed in a county council meeting on Thursday (November 14).

However, ahead of the meeting, deputy leader of the council with responsibility for climate change, environment and future generations, Dr Pete Sudbury, deferred the decision until more consultation and talks with the police have been carried out. 

Dr Sudbury said it was deferred because it "did not reflect" his views or that of the cabinet, "especially around the need for flexibility of approach".

A total of 12 speakers attended the meeting on Thursday and dozens wrote in. 

Dr Sudbury said: "The collected wisdom in these [public] responses is really valuable in helping us chart a way forward."

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In the meeting the council was heavily criticised for a lack of consultation prior to the decision deferral.  

Dr Sudbury responded: “It was not a made policy. It was a policy that was coming here to be considered."

However, a public document about the proposals states: "The county council will not formally consult upon, nor seek comments regarding the overall proposal of part night lighting, or the composition of the proposed lighting profiles."

Labour city and county councillor Susanna Pressel said: "I’m a great fan of Dark Skies and very keen to reduce carbon emissions and encourage biodiversity.

"But you have set this cause back years by the clumsy way you’ve handled this issue.

“You need to take people with you."

Susanna Pressel (Image: Oxford City Council) She added: “There are loads of things wrong with the report, for instance the fact that it doesn’t mention women and girls once.

"The way this has been handled has further eroded public trust in the county council, just when we should all be trying to rebuild it."

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In the meeting Liz Brighouse, leader of the county Labour group, slammed the proposals, which she said "could have only been written by men".

Liz Brighouse (Image: OCC) She added that a reduction in streetlighting "cannot be in urban areas where we have to make sure that the lives of women and girls are not affected by policies which they believe puts them in danger".

After the meeting, Dr Sudbury said: "One thing that comes out strikingly is that people talk about how the ideas that were presented would, wouldn't, or might work where they live.

"That reinforces my view that this sort of policy must be applied settlement by settlement to give people something that works for them."

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