Light Work

At yesterday’s Parish Council Meeting in Great Waldingfield we learned that street lighting costs the Parish Council £7500.00 annually, which represents some 18% of its budget.  Constantly rising energy costs, combined with the fact that many of the lights are getting rather long in the tooth, means that this proportion is likely to increase in the years to come.

Help is at hand however. Richard Webster, Electrical Services Manager at Suffolk County Council was at the meeting, and he spoke about current developments in street lighting that are being supported by the council across the county.

As in many villages, ownership of the lights in Great Waldingfield is a complex issue.  The vast majority are owned and maintained by the Parish Council, but the County also owns 12 and Babergh just 4.  The reasons for this ownership muddle are lost in the mists of time but are thought to be due to changes in Local Government made in 1974.

Savings for the Parish are likely to come from three areas:  the replacement, and possible removal, of some lights, investing, through the County Council in an intelligent lighting system, and following the lead of the County Council in turning off lights for a period in the middle of the night. 

Since a ‘dark period’ has been introduced in respect of their own lights, the County Council reckons that it is on track to save £550,000 annually.  These savings will rise as energy costs increase.  Contrary to the expectations of some, crime levels have not risen, and overall there have been relatively few complaints and problems. 

Until recently there was little flexibility with regard to controlling the lights.  However, investment of £2.5 million in an intelligent lighting system, where each individual light can be controlled centrally by computer, means that where lights do need to be kept on in a certain area, this can easily be achieved.  The hours of switch off can also be more easily altered.

 Suffolk County Council has, for a one off cost, offered to link Great Waldingfield’s  lights to this system.  This means that the village will be able to turn off the lights at will, but keep individual areas lit when required (for a special event for example).

In the light of what they heard from the County Council Officer, the Council has taken the decision to undertake a review of the lighting across the whole village.   In coming months a business case will be prepared by the Clerk, Dave Crimmin, which will look at the extent of the savings that can be achieved by bringing the system up to date.