Removal of street lights saves Welsh council £1.5m
Removal of street lights saves Welsh council £1.5m
The changes to streetlight provision has seen their loss in some rural areas
Alterations to street lighting in Pembrokeshire, resulting in the removal of some lights in rural locales, have reportedly led to savings of £1.5 million annually for the council.
At the May session of Pembrokeshire Council, Councillor Michael John posed a question highlighting concerns: "The loss of streetlights in rural areas is an issue which causes great concern to any members of the public affected, and one which is raised with me regularly." For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here .
He continued to express the shared worries among constituents: "I believe it is an issue that a number of other members have raised and continue to raise with the department also. Given the policy was introduced around 2006, nearly 20 years ago, does the Cabinet Member agree it would be a good time for it to be reviewed?".
In reply, Cabinet Member for Residents' Services, Councillor Rhys Sinnett, recalled the initiation of these changes being spurred by a motion from a former county councillor in 2008.
He explained that the necessity for lighting was determined based on criteria including night-time accidents, frequency of use by traffic and pedestrians, crime rates at night, and local residential populations.
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The council meeting was informed that savings were derived from adopting more efficient LED lighting, data-driven approaches to where new lighting should be installed, and removing lighting that fell short of the established criteria, leading to an annual £1.5 million saving alongside reduced carbon emissions.
Councillor Sinnett acknowledged the issues brought up since the implementation of the lighting changes and agreed they could be re-evaluated by an appropriate council scrutiny committee.
Councillor Sinnett expressed his backing as one of the early proponents of the policy shift, acknowledging that while it hasn't been met with unanimous approval, the change "has had some quite positive effects in terms of budget savings and carbon reduction". He concluded: "I commend the administration of the time for having the courage to introduce that."
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