It's hard to believe the council is strapped for cash, as the floodlights at the West Oxford Community Centre seem to be left burning for hours, whether anyone is there or not.

Last month I noticed the lights burned all night – presumably in case someone fancied practising drop kicks on sheet ice at 4am – and were still burning at noon the next day. This wastes our taxes pointlessly, adds needlessly to our carbon footprint, and pollutes the night sky – replacing a pleasant vista out to open country with a hideous orange migraine. All that’s needed is a switch on the pitch to bring the lights on, with a timer to switch them off automatically after an hour.

There are fears people would break the switch. But Oxford is full of devices – traffic lights, lifts and cash machines – button operated by the public 24 hours a day.

The problem isn’t the public, or technology – it’s the council.

So I announce my candidature for the Switch Off Party, to stand at the next election, with the single aim of installing a publicly accessible light switch. Fellow luminophobes, rally to the cause!

Julian Le Vay, Abbey Road, Oxford