A SENIOR Liberal Democrat councillor has welcomed a “u-turn” on street lighting in Wirral.

In a report to next week’s meeting of Wirral Council’s ruling cabinet recommends the authority invests into new LED style street lighting.

The report also recommends that the planned switch off of street lighting across the borough is reversed as the savings generated by new technology can replace those made by switching off lights.

The proposal to retrofit LED lighting units, including central management system, to 6,943 existing street lighting columns is estimated to cost £4.3 million in capital investment, including all procurement costs.

Cabinet is asked to approve the proposals and endorse the funding required, before referring the plans to full council.

The report states that revenue savings resulting from the proposed works are already included in the Future Council proposals – currently out to consultation – and comprise energy and maintenance savings of £100,000 in 2015/16 and £390,000 in 2016/17, as well as the £85,000 savings already taken in 2014/15.

Oxton Lib Dem Cllr Stuart Kelly, who has campaigned against the existing switch off policy, said: “I welcome this u-turn – this is exactly what I have been arguing for since it was first suggested that street lights could be turned off to save money.

“Low energy LED lighting was always able to save council tax payers much more than the option of crudely turning off street lights.”

Cllr Kelly added: “It is just a shame that the council didn’t act sooner, if they had they could have prevented the embarrassment of switching off lights against police advice and saved a number of accidents that occurred due to switched off lighting.”

Earlier this year, council leader Phil Davies said the decision to switch off street lights was down to financial pressures.

He said: “No one wants to turn off street lights, in an ideal world we would not be doing it.”