Cost of living: costs of powering Sheffield’s street lights doubles

It was rumoured the council’s energy costs for street lights increased from £2 million to £9 million since the cost of living crisis struck.

Council officials today confirmed allocated budget for street lighting had doubled from £2 million to £4 million, despite measures to reduce levels.

Councillor Joe Otten, chair of the waste and street scene policy committee, said on top of more efficient lights and dimming in some areas, the council would need to find more ways to save money.

He said: “We are acutely aware of rising energy prices across the UK and of the impact this will have on residents in Sheffield as well as on council expenses.

“As part of the Streets Ahead contract, we have upgraded our street lighting over the last ten years, with state of the art LED lighting, which has enabled us to provide energy efficient lighting levels across the city. In addition, in recent years, the council has introduced dimming of street lighting in some areas to achieve further cost savings, whilst still being able to provide effective lighting levels.

“However, further energy price rises mean that we have to look at this again. We do recognise there will be concerns about any proposal to change lighting levels and how safe our neighbourhoods feel, therefore the council will consider proposals carefully and consult with residents and stakeholders before making any changes.”

Sheffield Council on the verge of collapse

It comes as the local authority is on the brink of financial collapse with all reserves spoken for and big service cuts needed to balance its budget.

The council is already estimating an overspend of £21.7 million this year – a figure that has been increasing every month.

Ryan Keyworth, director of finance, previously said: “To have [reserves] spoken for at this relatively early stage in the year is not an ideal place to be to put it mildly.”

Councillor Bryan Lodge, co-chair of the finance sub-committee, said nothing was off the table in terms of service cuts but that no plan had yet been agreed.