The city council are being urged to ask the county council to abandon a “dangerous and divisive” proposal to turn off street lighting at night.

Oxfordshire County Council faced backlash after their leaders proposed to turn off street lighting between 11pm and 6:30am rather than keep them on all night, with some exceptions.

Campaigners raised concerns about safety, particularly for women and those who work at night, and said that the plans will encourage anti-social behaviour.

The county council said that the scheme would save £400,000 a year, that other authorities had implemented similar changes, and studies show that they reduce crime.

The Labour group made the proposal, which is set for discussion at the Oxford City Council meeting on Monday, November 25.

It calls for the city council to “formally and publicly” state its opposition to turning street lights off at 11pm, and to ask the leader of the council to write to the county council asking them to abandon the “dangerous and divisive” proposal.

It was put forward by Councillor Lubna Arshad, cabinet member for A Safer Oxford, who has previously spoken out against the proposals, and seconded by councillor Jemima Hunt.

Thames Valley Police, Anneliese Dodds MP, Sean Woodcock MP, and the wider Labour Party across Oxfordshire have spoken out against the proposal.

More than 1,600 people signed a petition to keep Oxfordshire’s streetlights on at night, as of today, (Friday, November 22).

The county council’s proposal was supposed to be discussed on Thursday, November 14, but it was deferred to allow for further consultations and talks with the police to take place.