South Kesteven District Council is moving forward with upgrading the district's streetlights with energy-efficient LED.

The council, which covers Stamford, Grantham, Market Deeping and Bourne, is advancing its plan to upgrade the district's streetlights with energy-efficient LED units.

This comes after it was announced that the anticipated savings made by the council through installing the energy efficient lights were demolished due to the increase in energy costs. Read more here.

This loss for the group meant that a new plan has to be put in place to help generate more savings, faster.

At a meeting on Thursday, members of the council's Finance and Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee endorsed the plan to retrofit approximately 3,000 streetlamps across the district.

This decision comes despite the recognition that escalating energy costs may extend the time required to realise the anticipated savings.

While presenting to the committee, Councillor Ashley Baxter (Independent) explained that the cost of operating streetlights has significantly increased due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, thereby diminishing the return on investment for LED installations.

South Kesteven District Council hold most of their meetings in the Grantham offices. Image credit: Nub News.

Council Baxter labelled the decision a "no brainer", disclosing that nearly 700 streetlamps have already been upgraded.

Members of the committee reviewed a report presenting two principal options – accelerating the programme to upgrade all existing streetlights owned by SKDC, and introducing a policy to switch lighting off between midnight and 6am.

Councillors Ben Green and Gloria Johnson (both Conservative) argued for the lights to be switched off starting from 1am, a move predicted to save an estimated £34,000 annually.

However, this proposal sparked concern in light of Lincolnshire County Council's decision in 2016 to turn off most of its streetlights, asserting that lighting has "no impact" on levels of night-time crime.

Newly elected Councillor Tim Harrison (Grantham Independent) countered this viewpoint, emphasizing that lighting during those hours would be vital for people returning from late-night shifts at work.

He said: "There is a massive issue with women walking home from work. These lights need to be on."

The installation of LED street lights is expected to save SKDC £34,000 annually. Image credit: Nub News.

Members concurred that transitioning to energy-efficient LEDs was essential, particularly as the council declared a climate emergency in 2019. As a result, they voted in favour of the initiative.

This will enable further discussion by the Environmental Committee in the upcoming months, before the proposal is eventually forwarded to the Cabinet, and subsequently to the Full Council.

At these stages, more nuanced considerations, such as whether the lights should be turned off overnight, will be determined.