Biggest overhaul of York’s lights since the 19th century

York Council is set to announce funding for the replacements of the lights in its forthcoming budget, setting aside what the Yorkshire Post understands could be more than £1m.

More than 500 lights - around 7 per cent of the total stock - have already been taken down after a city-wide survey discovered they pose an immediate risk to the public.

Around 2,000 more need to be re-inspected within the next few years.

Coun Dafydd Williams, York Council cabinet member for communities and neighbourhoods, told the Yorkshire Post: “The lighting columns taken down were in danger of falling over.

“In some cases if you leant against them they would have fallen over.

“There has been chronic under investment in the city’s lighting columns over a number of years.

“The current situation is leaving whole areas in the dark.

“This is a programme that needs doing - probably the biggest since Victorian times.

“A lot of the street lights are antiques that help to provide York’s unique character.

“It is important that they are replaced right.”

Following the 500 most at risk lights being taken down over the past few weeks, the city’s Liberal Democrat opposition party issued a statement criticising the council and saying the work was carried out without warning and without explaining to residents what was happening.

Liberal Democrat spokeswoman for communities and neighbourhoods, Coun Ann Reid, said: “At no point have they bothered to let residents know what is happening and it now appears that they didn’t think to allocate any money to replace the lights.

“While the weather has been unusually mild so far this winter, if there is a cold spell the reduced lighting will make it harder to spot ice on the pavements and many elderly residents have contacted me concerned about not being able to go outside. These concerns have been made much worse by the complete failure to inform residents about what was happening.”