RESIDENTS have been reassured that street lights will not be turned off to save money.
A meeting of Flintshire Council’s environment overview and scrutiny committee heard that £1million was spent on lighting last year and the figure was going up annually.
Steve Jones, head of Street Scene, said: “The figure has doubled in the last four or five years, much like household prices, and things aren’t going to slow down.
“But there are a number of things we can do to improve efficiency.”
To avoid the drastic and unpopular action of turning lights off completely at certain times overnight, the authority is considering a number of alternate options including:
l Make no change.
l County council to ‘adopt’ all lights.
l Ensure all footway lights are maintained by the town and community councils.
l Continue current system but centralise administration.
More energy and cost effective light bulbs are also being considered.
Cllr Mike Peers said the issue was “the most important element of town and community council life” adding that residents worried about faulty or broken lighting more than they worried about the new recycling system.
Town and community councils are currently in charge of about 4,000 lights and pay roughly £300,000 for supply every year.
Cllr Stella Jones, of Caergwrle, said “Most of our budget goes on street lighting.
“And we do replace faulty and broken lights but not quickly enough.”
But Cllr Christine Jones, of Sealand, said: “We’ve had our lights ‘adopted’ and it’s a brilliant service now.
“I’d recommend it to any other communities.”
And Cllr Carolyn Thomas added: “We are with the county council now as well and their expertise is excellent.”
One of the main concerns raised by councillors was the time it took for repairs to be done.
Cllr Quentin Dodd said: “While we are waiting for Scottish Power to carry out their work people are feeling very threatened and insecure.”
Daryl Jones, group head of street lighting service, replied: “There’s a new Ofgem ruling which means electricity providers have to ensure repairs are carried out within 10.5 working days.
“At our request, Scottish Power do try to prioritise those in the most need but we cannot enforce that.”