Thousands of signatures backing the call for all-night lighting to return to Kent streets will NOT be included in the latest public consultation.

Kent County Council has told campaigner Tina Brooker that the 11,065 people who added their names to her Right to Light petition have to complete its own online questionnaire for their views to be counted.

Miss Brooker has branded the decision as undemocratic but, with the deadline fast approaching, urged residents throughout the county to take part.

“If KCC is really after public opinion, as it states, then they should not ignore the people who have already called for all-night lighting to return,” said the 52-year-old legal secretary.

“Residents have already spoken very loudly and clearly, and signed this petition in good faith. It is totally undemocratic and unacceptable for KCC to refuse to put forward the 11,065 signatories.

“It is therefore paramount that as many people as possible participate before the deadline.”

In an email sent on behalf of cabinet member for environment and transport Matthew Balfour, Miss Brooker was told KCC was “unable to take the views” of those who signed her petition last year and therefore they should be encouraged to complete the online survey. The closing date is November 29.

This is the second consultation process by council chiefs since KCC’s Safe and Sensible policy of part-night lighting was adopted in a bid to save money and cut pollution.

Up to 70,000 of Kent’s 118,000 street lights were switched off between midnight and 5.30am, a move which attracted widespread criticism from the public.

Many were concerned about safety and crime, and the Messenger, which has run its own Let There Be Light campaign, exclusively revealed that the police, although consulted by KCC, did not support the scheme.

A report into KCC’s original consultation was highly critical, stating it was tarnished, lacked transparency and failed to consult the public properly. Of the county’s 1.5 million residents, only 546 responded.

Miss Brooker, of The Warren, Gravesend, has campaigned for the return of all-night street lighting for 18 months, first in the borough and then countywide.

Her dogged determination appeared to have paid off when her Right to Light petition triggered a full council debate.

This was followed by a dramatic U-turn by KCC in January this year when it decided to convert its entire lighting stock to low-cost light-emitting diodes. It said this would allow all-night lighting to return to all residential areas and, although dimmed a little after peak hours, it was “here to stay”.

In the summer, KCC then said residents, businesses and communities would be consulted on three options – all-night lighting, part-night lighting, or all-night lighting but dimmed between midnight and 5.30am.

The latter has always been welcomed by the campaigners who say it would both allay fears over public safety and address environmental and financial issues.

However, when the 10-week consultation process was launched in September it did not include dimmed all-night lighting as an option, only welcoming views.

Miss Brooker accused KCC of once again misleading residents.

“KCC made a very public promise that all-night lighting would return and was here to stay, and it should honour that promise,” she said.

“Many people are not even aware of this second consultation process, which isn’t surprising given KCC’s own confusing announcements.”

To take part in the consultation go to www.kent.gov.uk/streetlights or phone 03000 414141. Hard copies should also be available at libraries and Gateway centres around the county.