Council considers plans to turn off some street lights to save money
Lewis Smith, local democracy reporter
A council is considering plans to turn off some street lights during the early hours of the morning to save money.
Councillors in Neath Port Talbot are considering proposals for a pilot exercise to look at the feasibility of switching off lights in some locations.
The local authority has already approved a move to dim street lights to help it save money on increasing energy cost.
The spiralling cost of electricity in recent years is expected to see the council’s street lighting energy budget of £1.18 million overspent by £150,000 this year.
A report detailing the plans said: “On March 24, 2024 the then cabinet board discussed the
implementation of energy saving strategies relating to additional dimming of lighting and part-night lighting.
“The extra dimming was approved but there were member concerns regarding the part-night lighting and it was acknowledged in the decision report that further work was needed to complete a satisfactory impact assessment in relation to such savings. This included a pilot exercise, details of which were required to be submitted for scrutiny and approval.
“Further to previously commissioned consultancy work it has been initially assessed that part-night lighting could include switching off up to around 14,000 lanterns during the small hours.”
Pilot
It added that if the idea was approved by cabinet in the coming months, the pilot exercise would run during November this year, with the lights being switched off between 1am and 5am.
It estimates that the part-night lighting could save around £180,000 annually.
The trial would then be taking place across seven areas in the borough, which the report said were chosen for the geographic spread throughout the authority.
Members also heard how consultation would be a part of the pilot exercise with the results of the trial being reported back to councillors before any future discussions were had.
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Could this be a trial? Should be shut off from 1030-11pm till 6am in the winter no need to put lights back on in the summer in the morning many studies have shown this benefits people with their sleep plus also wildlife benefits and obviously the cash savings for councils
When I was a student in Lampeter way back in the 1960s, all the street lights in the town bar one or two on main roads and at junctions used to switch off automatically at midnight, and no one thought anything about it one way or another.
But I’ve been informed that my current local authority – Denbighshire – debated that some time ago and decided against it. What they have done, though, as a consequence of more recent technology has been to incrementally replace older street lighting with more modern lamps which automatically dim after 10:00 pm.
I can assure you that NPT council is NOT short of money. I have been emailing my local councillors for several months to ask what the long-term plan is regarding work-from-home. Much of the office space in two civic centres is now unused and yet the tax player is still funding its upkeep, running costs, and construction costs. NPT council even has the nerve to cite WFH as the reason for delayed response and and services – when WFH is entirely the local authority’s choice. I suggest that the empty spaces should be sold or leased. I have received no… Read more »
This is nothing new. Street lights used to be switched off at midnight in most towns and villages many years ago. Keeping them on is a complete waste of money that would be better spent on the return of policemen on the beat instead of the current system of police cars whizzing past down to the chippy.
Would the last one to leave Wales, remember to switch off the lights!