The lights could go out in parts of district in a bid to save cash

Cash-strapped Kirklees Council will soon begin a pilot scheme to turn off 2,000 street lights for part of the night in a bid to save money.

The pilot scheme will see parts of the district plunged into darkness with the lights switched off every night at midnight and turned back on again at 5am in a bid to lower the local authority’s energy bills

The trial will start when it has been decided which 2,000 lights in the district are to be switched off as part of the scheme.

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It is estimated that the move will save approximately £20,000 in energy costs each year or an average of £10 per light and about £10,000 in maintenance costs per year.

There are over 51,000 street lights in Kirklees and current energy costs are £1.8m per year - 48 per cent of the street lighting maintenance budget. If energy used remains constant and the predicted inflation rates occur, then the annual street lighting energy budget will rise to about £2.9m by 2015, or 90 per cent of the street lighting maintenance budget.

Last year a programme for replacing all the street lights in Kirklees was put together but the funding needed was not forthcoming to carry out the programme. As a result, other options were looked at including cost savings.

The possibility of switching off street lights came from a local resident during a discussion about budgets. As a result of discussions to see if people would be for or against the idea local residents got involved and shaped the idea from switching off, to switching off for part of the night and considering times and locations where this could be tried out.

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Councillors have been asked to suggest an average of seventy seven street lights per ward to be included in the trial and these are in the process of being selected.

Coun David Sheard, the council’s cabinet member for streetscene, said last night: “If recommendations for suitable street lights for the trial are not forthcoming from local councillors, highway officers will make the choice. “

At the end of last year members were told the street lighting network emits 11,840 tonnes of carbon dioxide which costs the council £140,000 in Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) tax. This tax is due to increase to £30 per tonne by 2020 and will then cost in the region of £350,000 if the street lighting system remains unchanged.

The authority has said the proposed switch-off timings ensure that the lights would be in use when more people are about and when the public most need well-lit streets to go about their daily lives.

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Install energy-efficient technology in the 2,000 lights will cost council bosses £60,000 but the switch-off will cut the authority’s annual electricity bill at a time when budget are squeezed.

A report to members of the authority’s cabinet in December said a trial could help establish locations where street lights could be switched off in future in a bid to ensure the impact on the most vulnerable is minimised.

It said: “The provision of effective and efficient street lighting is viewed as an important service by the community, because it can reduce crime, the fear of crime, road accidents, encourage use of public transport and more active sociallives in the evenings.

“Poor quality lighting has the biggest detrimental impact on the wellbeing of the elderly and vulnerable who feel less safe and are more reluctant to leave their homes to socialise in the dark evenings.

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“These proposals are part of a wider strategy to help address the rising energy related costs and infrastructure condition by using new technologies where they present value for money, whilst continuing to provide an important and valued service to the community.”

The authority hopes the contentious move will mean cash used to pay for energy can be used on other services at a time of spending cuts.