Councils click into the future of planning
In town halls across the country, planning officers are racing to update their Local Plans — but this time, the process looks very different.
Council switches off street lights in energy-saving pilot
03/04/2025 East Riding of Yorkshire Council has alerted drivers that they will be switching off street lights along two main roads as part of an energy-saving pilot. |
Norfolk faces £45m budget gap
01/10/2024 Norfolk County Council is planning millions of pounds of cuts it does ‘not want to make’ in the face of a £44.75m deficit in its budget for next year. |
Public advised to use ‘personal lighting’ amid streetlight cuts
26/06/2024 A council in the outer Hebrides has advised people to consider using ‘personal lighting’ after announcing it would switch off streetlights earlier. |
Legal challenge prompts council to install new LED bulbs
19/04/2024 Barnet Council has agreed to install new, softer LED bulbs after settling a legal challenge from a resident who complained the streetlights were too bright. |
Acrospire Solar Street Lighting Chosen for Luton Public Parks
04/10/2023 Acrospire has announced that its Defender solar street lighting has been chosen for two prominent public locations in Luton. |
Dover District Council, LEDs Ltd and CU Phosco Lighting Partner to Create Safer, Greener Streets
24/07/2023 CU Phosco Lighting has announced its participation in a major project to upgrade Dover District Council’s street lighting system. |
Acrospire Helps Vale of Glamorgan Council Reduce Carbon Footprint with Energy-Efficient Heritage Lighting
24/07/2023 Exterior lighting specialists Acrospire helped the Vale of Glamorgan Council reduce its carbon footprint by 7.32 tonnes annually with heritage lighting. |
Council chiefs warn of plague of potholes and salt shortages
31/08/2022 Council leaders warn that local authorities will struggle to maintain roads and street lights, and face salt shortages due to inflation and energy prices. |
How IoT is helping local authorities keep their infrastructure assets safe from harm
21/04/2022 Manish Jethwa outlines how local authorities are using Internet of Things (IoT) to monitor infrastructure assets and remediate faults and other issues, as and when required. |
Areas chosen to share Safer Streets Fund
04/06/2021 The Government has announced the 40 areas that will share more than £18m to make streets safer and crack down on neighbourhood crime. |
Safer streets fund doubled after death of Sarah Everard
16/03/2021 The Government has doubled the Safer Streets fund to provide better lighting and CCTV following the death of Sarah Everard. |
More streetlight chargers only part of the answer
11/02/2020 Despite funding for on-street chargepoints doubling for 2021, Kevin Pugh argues more streetlight chargers is not the universal panacea to the charging infrastructure shortage. |
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Only a month left to enter Street Design Awards 2020
30/01/2020 There is now only a month left to enter the Street Design Awards 2020, which celebrate best practice and innovation across the UK. |
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New £25m fund launched for ‘preventative approach’ to crime
27/01/2020 The Home Office is launching a new multi-million pound scheme which will see more street lights and gated alleyways rolled out across the country in order to tackle crime. |
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The launch of the 2020 Street Design Awards
05/11/2019 The Street Design Awards 2020 have now been launched to celebrate best practice and innovation across the UK. |
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UK's first bat-friendly street lights are switched on
03/09/2019 New LED lighting that emits a red glow to provide a bat friendly crossing has been completed in Worcestershire. |
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Neighbourhood services cut by £8.9bn
22/07/2019 Funding for neighbourhood services across Britain has fallen 27% over the last decade, according to new research. |
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Public Lighting Runner-up: Newport Bridge Architectural Lighting, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
24/06/2019 The runner-up of the Public Lighting category is Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council for Newport Bridge Architectural Lighting scheme. |
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Public Lighting Winner: Winner: The Golden Spiral, The terra firma Consultancy and Brighton and Hove City Council
24/06/2019 The Golden Spiral in Brighton has been chosen as this year's winner of the Public Lighting category. |
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Councils urged to tackle light pollution
17/04/2019 Councils have been urged to take action to limit the impact of artificial light from streets and buildings by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). |
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Only a week left to enter Street Design Awards
14/02/2019 The Street Design Awards, celebrating innovation and best practice in street design schemes, have been relaunched by Local Government News magazine. |
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Turning off street lights at night would help moths, scientists say
21/01/2019 Switching off street lights during the night would help moths and other nocturnal pollinators, new research has found. |
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LED street lighting and public health
09/07/2018 The Institution of Lighting Professionals explains why LED street lighting does not pose a risk to public health when specified and installed correctly. |
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Council denies street lights cause cancer
10/04/2018 Gateshead Council has been forced to hit back at a conspiracy theory which claims it is carrying out secret Government trials using its street lights. |
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Tackling light pollution
21/03/2018 A new study published at the end of last year found light pollution has risen over the past five years. Is LED to blame? And if so, what can be done to combat this? Lee Walker investigates. |
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LED street lights could save councils £200m a year, campaigners say
30/10/2017 Councils could save more than £200m a year if they switched to high-efficiency LED street lights, according to climate campaigners. |
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The road to a smart city
08/08/2017 Paul Haddlesey sets out why local authorities should ensure street lighting infrastructure can adapt to future data input needs. |
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Essex trials first ‘smart’ streetlights
16/06/2017 'Smart’ streetlights have been installed in Essex offering the potential to monitor pollution, guide driverless vehicles, and create Wi-Fi hotspots. |
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What does 2017 hold for lighting?
20/03/2017 Tiz Gibson looks back at last year’s ‘trends’ in street lighting and outlines what lies ahead for many of the UK’s local authorities. |
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Academics warn LED street lighting could affect wildlife
06/02/2017 Councils’ use of LED street lighting may need to be managed to reduce its impacts on the environment, according to new research. |
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Shining a light on asset management
25/01/2017 A national upgrade of street lighting provides the perfect opportunity to improve asset management and help with the transition to smart cities, says Graham Cartledge. |
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A new era for lighting?
29/09/2016 Laura Sharman catches up with the new president of the Institute of Lighting Professionals to discuss everything from Brexit to the legal and moral importance of staff training. |
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Councils fight climate change with energy reduction lighting
08/08/2016 Government cuts have created challenges for local authorities in recent years. Energy efficiency is one way they can make both financial and carbon savings. |
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The lamppost in the smart city
27/06/2016 John Fox explores what role street lighting will play in bringing the smart city concept to life in the future. |
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The true cost of dimming street lights
16/06/2016 Does switching off street lights lead to increased crime? Matthew Davies explores how local authorities can measure the impact of something we can’t see. |
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Making money with energy efficiency
15/06/2016 Mike Barrett explains why smart asset management and thinking about energy efficiency in a new way can alleviate this pressure. |
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Local authorities urged to do more to tackle light pollution
13/06/2016 Only 22% of England is untouched by light pollution, according to a new interactive satellite map. |
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County agrees to keep street lighting on for longer
09/06/2016 Plans to turn off some streetlights at 10pm have been abandoned by Lincolnshire County Council, following public concerns over safety. |
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Making new connections with lighting
19/05/2016 In addition to its energy and maintenance saving benefits, LED lighting technology opens the door to connected public lighting systems that go beyond illumination. Andy Gowen explains. |
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Different lighting schemes buttress segregation
12/05/2016 The way spaces are lit can reinforce levels of inequality in urban areas, a new report argues. |
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Blackpool refinances lighting PFI contract
15/02/2016 Blackpool Council has renegotiated its street lighting and traffic signals contract in a move that will save £157,000 a year. |
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Council to save £77m by installing LEDs
29/10/2015 Edinburgh Council will upgrade the city’s street lights in a move that will save an estimated £77m over the next 20 years. |
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Councils urged not to raise taxes to keep lights on
26/10/2015 Raising local taxes is not an ‘efficient’ way for councils to keep street lights on overnight, GE Lighting is warning. |
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Harlow to switch street lights back on overnight
20/10/2015 Street light in Harlow are to be switched back on overnight, after a financial agreement was reached between the district council and Essex County Council. |
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Boroughs get new powers over sign and street light placement
24/08/2015 London streets could be emptied of ‘clutter’ under new legislation freeing boroughs from needing to gain permission for erecting lampposts and signs. |
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County signs street lighting contract worth up to £41m
17/08/2015 A county has signed a 12-year street lighting contract worth up to £41m in a bid to reduce energy consumption and cut long-term costs. |
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Switching off street lights does not increase car crashes, says study
29/07/2015 Councils can turn off street lights without triggering an increase in car crashes or local crime, analysis suggests. |
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Machine-to-Machine technologies could save councils £400m a year says research
09/06/2015 Councils are failing to utilise Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technologies, missing out on over £400m a year in potential savings, according to new research. |
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Council urged to review street light switch-off after woman’s death
01/06/2015 A woman killed on a Wiltshire road last year where street lighting had been switched off would have been ‘impossible’ to see, a coroner has ruled. |
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Winners named for £275m road improvement fund
24/03/2015 The 28 councils awarded with £275m for local infrastructure projects have today been revealed, with some authorities scooping tens of millions of pounds. |
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Council agrees loan to finance low-energy street lighting
20/03/2015 Glasgow City Council has become the first local authority to use a ‘Green Loan’ to roll-out LED street lighting. |
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Smart cities offer urban planning solutions
10/03/2015 Smart cities have the potential to address some of the challenges facing cities, with many innovations capable of utilising existing infrastructure. Russell Fletcher reports. |
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Street furniture and lighting costs councils £1bn a year
25/02/2015 Local authorities spend almost £1bn a year on street furniture and lighting, according to new research. |
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Streetlight switch-off prompts safety fears as England ‘plunged into darkness’
22/12/2014 Three quarters of councils have turned off or dimmed streetlights to save money, prompting fears from Labour that community safety could be jeopardised. |
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Councils criticised for switching off street lights
05/12/2014 Accidents in areas where councils have turned off street lights have continued to get worse, according to new research. |
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Cash-strapped councils crowdfund for Christmas
27/08/2014 Councils have backed a campaign to crowdfund money to pay for festive high street decorations. |
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Council criticised for keeping lights on
05/08/2014 A council that turns off streetlights late at night has been criticised for not hitting the switch hours earlier to mark the First World War. |
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High hopes for play
16/07/2014 As councils continue to seek out a panacea for their declining high streets, Paul Collings examines how play facilities can give locations some much-needed personality. |
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AA: Lives being lost from streetlight switch-off
04/07/2014 Cost-savings from councils turning off streetlights are being paid for with lives, the president of the AA has suggested. |
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Glow above our heads
11/06/2014 The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has published two reports this year concerning light pollution. Are there lessons to be learnt by local authorities or is it not as simple as that? Alan Field investigates. |
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Smarter street lighting
11/06/2014 Patrick Mitchell explains how technology is transforming the humble street light and offering local authorities the chance to balance safety with the need to drive efficiency savings. |
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Budget cuts force council to change street lighting maintenance
11/06/2014 Street light bulbs will no longer be routinely replaced under cost-cutting proposals launched by Derbyshire County Council. |
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LED street lighting to be rolled-out across Bedfordshire
11/06/2014 An extra 7,000 LED street lights are to be installed across Central Bedfordshire following the success of a pilot scheme in Shefford. |
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Community Lighting 2014
11/06/2014 The programme for Community Lighting 2014 has now been finalised, featuring practical case studies and informative sessions on the latest lighting techniques and legislation. |
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Community Lighting 2014
30/05/2014 This year’s conference, taking place on 24th June 2014, builds on the core technical sessions that have become the heart of this annual lighting event. |
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Stockton council awards contract for £14m LED lighting project
30/05/2014 Stockton Council will replace almost 28,000 street lighting columns with LED lighting as part of a £14m investment programme. |
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Smart lighting market to be worth $56.05bn by 2020 finds report
30/05/2014 The smart lighting market is expected to be worth $56.05bn by 2020, according to new research by MarketsandMarkets. |
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Scottish solar campaign sheds light on climate change
30/05/2014 A campaign to deliver 100,000 solar lights to Malawi while raising climate change awareness has received £200,000 of Scottish Government funding. |
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Street light controls come of age
29/05/2014 Transport for London is spending more than £10m to upgrade streetlights across the capital, so why was their choice of control technology key to this project? |
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PM distances himself from streetlight switch off
22/05/2014 Prime minister David Cameron has insisted councils switching off streetlights has nothing to do with him despite admitting the policy is failing in some areas. |
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Councils urged to tackle light pollution
28/04/2014 Councils could save hundreds of thousands of pounds a year by dimming their streetlights, a report published today suggests. |
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Councils defend streetlight switch off
22/04/2014 Councils have defended moves to turn off streetlights after police data suggested that nighttime road deaths rose as a result. |
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Street light switch-off called the ‘insidious threat’ to road safety
10/04/2014 The reduction in night-time road accidents has been hampered by councils turning off street lights, according to new research by the AA. |
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All white on the night
04/03/2014 Pressure is mounting on councils from rising energy costs and carbon reduction targets. Find out how Edinburgh has deployed white light to source savings on both fronts. |
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Council agrees 10-year rural lighting scheme
24/02/2014 A 10-year plan to upgrade footway lighting in rural areas has been agreed by Eden District Council. |
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Glasgow first council to take a Green Loan
05/02/2014 Glasgow City Council has become the first local authority to take a loan from the UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) to finance its switch to low energy street lighting. |
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Councils warned turning off street lighting is increasing fear of crime
30/01/2014 In areas where street lights have been switched off or dimmed, 56% of women and 39% of men now feel less safe, according to a new survey. |
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A glow from below
28/01/2014 Cambridge City is trialling a new UV powered pathway, which allows routes to collect energy and illuminate the area. |
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London commits to historic street light investment
02/12/2013 A near £11m programme of street light improvements in London will aim to cut energy use by 40% over the next three years. |
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Street light switch off contributed to death, coroner finds
26/11/2013 Switched off street lights in Warwickshire contributed to the death of a student, a coroner has concluded. |
