Agenda item

    Report by Corporate Director Alistair Cunningham.

Cllr Bridget Wayman presented a report seeking approval to proceed with an ‘invest to save’ project to convert the Council’s existing street lighting to more energy efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) units, and to approve the procurement of the new lighting units.

Cllr Wayman reported that energy costs had risen sharply in recent years, with an expectation that the costs would continue to rise in the future. The annual energy costs for street lighting are currently over £1.9m and with budget restrictions the costs were becoming increasingly unaffordable. Members were reminded that the Council had implemented a scheme to reduce energy consumption by operating the street lighting in the side roads in towns for part of the night only. This scheme was introduced from 2014 in all of the larger towns, and has operated successfully. Rising energy costs, and the reducing cost of LED lighting, have justified reviewing the case for LED lighting. The current units are becoming obsolete and going out of production, and are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.

The report noted that LED lights used considerably less energy than the current lighting units, and a major advantage is that LED lights provide the opportunity to dim the lighting during off-peak periods to further reduce energy consumption. The report detailed the costs of the project and potential savings that could be achieved by implementing the proposals, with a payback period of 12 years.

The Cabinet noted that the proposal had been scrutinised by the Environment Select Committee, who were broadly supportive of the proposals and were pleased to hear that this was not a ‘PFI Scheme’. They favoured the invest to save approach and the fact that the installation of such lights would help to reduce Wiltshire’s carbon footprint.

Cllr Thorne commented on the proposal for a blanket dimming of lights between 8.00pm and 6.00am, and suggested that timings may need to be more flexible, taking into account the needs of the different communities throughout the county. Cllr Wayman indicated that 8.00pm was after the rush hour in most communities, but took into account the comments that were well made.

In response to comments about the historical process of considering a scheme to replace existing street lights with LED’s, Cllr Whitehead explained that with the modern advancements in technology, the implementation of the proposals was now economically viable.

Resolved:

i)      Agree to proceed with a scheme to replace the Council’s older street lighting lanterns with LED units.

ii)    Acknowledge the economic benefits of the proposed LED lighting project and the environmental benefits it will bring, especially in terms of reduced carbon footprint.

iii)   Include provision in the Council’s capital budget from 2019/20 for the scheme.

iv)   Approve the proposal to dim the new lighting between 8.00pm and 6.00am, with additional dimming after 11.00pm.

v)    Give consideration to the options for extending the LED lighting to other suitable Council owned lighting, including in public open space and car parks.

vi)   Delegate authority to the Director, Highways and Transport to invite tenders and award contracts, instruct legal to execute all necessary documentation: that officer should consult with the Director of Finance and Procurement and the Cabinet Member, Highways, Transport and Waste.

Reason for decision:

There is a good economic and environmental case for replacing the Council’s aging street lighting stock with energy efficient LED lighting, especially in view of the cost and difficulty of maintaining the existing equipment and the rising cost of energy.