Streetlights across the borough will get gradually dimmer throughout the night to help cut costs, Bracknell Forest Council has said.

The council says it will save some £55,000 a year by dimming streetlights by 10 per cent, starting from April. The proposals were first announced last December – and were approved as part of the coming year’s budget on Wednesday, February 21, despite attracting safety concerns.

But Labour council leaders admitted they could have explained the move better when they asked residents for their views.

Speaking on Wednesday councillor Guy Gillbe, responsible for streetlights, said lights would get gradually dimmer throughout the night.

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He said: “The dimming will take place throughout the period the lights are switched on with the dimmest levels during the quietest periods generally from midnight through to the early hours.”

But councillors from other parties said this should have been explained to residents when they were asked for their views. When the plans were first announced they only said that lights would be dimmed by 10 per cent.

There was further confusion earlier this month over whether lights would be dimmed on residential streets or main roads.

Councillor Gillbe said at a meeting of council leaders this month that lighting on some major roads was ‘not at a level where we would be looking to dim them further.’

But a council statement the following day ‘clarified’ that major roads would be affected, while lights on residential roads would not be dimmed further.

Conservative councillor Nick Allen criticised the council for sending ‘mixed messages’ when the plans were put to residents.

He added that the plans pose a risk to public safety. He said: “It does not seem in our best interest to be dimming the lights outside the core 12am to 4am time, but time will tell on that.”

Green Party councillor Sheila Collings also said some of the council’s spending plans ‘needed more detail’ when residents were asked to share their thoughts.

She noted that plans to cut spending on the library service led people to fear libraries would be closed – even though the council never suggested this.

Instead, the council is looking to merge its library and customer service management, and at first said this would involve ending the home library service.

It has since said it will look for volunteer groups to run the home library, and that changes to this service won’t come in until next year.

It has also since agreed that some £40,000 should go towards keeping a library assistant after this was proposed by Conservative councillors.

Council leader Mary Temperton said the way the council sought residents’ views had been a success. Some 330 people answered questions online – up from two the previous year.

But she admitted that some parts of the consultation could be improved. She said: “Some proposals – in this case lighting and libraries – needed much more explanation to avoid any misunderstanding. We will learn, and we have learned and it will change for next year.”