Worcestershire speeds up LED upgrade to beat cost rises

Worcestershire County Council has finished a £6m project to upgrade 21,000 streetlights to LED more than a year earlier than planned after accelerating the work in response to rising energy costs.

The council said the new lights, which are mostly on residential roads save around 40-60% of energy compared to the bulbs they replaced and are expected to last up to 20 years.

The works started in April 2022 and were then accelerated by rising energy costs and completed ahead of schedule this month. Worcestershire CC said its energy usage has reduced by 21% compared to last year.

Mike Rouse, cabinet member with responsibility for transport and highways said: ‘The streetlight upgrade programme is a significant project and I’m delighted that the initiative has been completed ahead of schedule, bringing more efficient and environmentally friendly lighting across Worcestershire.

‘We have invested £6m in the project and despite a number of significant issues affecting the supply of LEDs, such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the team has worked hard to secure stock and accelerate the roll-out.’

The council said it intends to return to areas where older streetlights have yet to be replaced or have been missed, for example, because operatives were unable to safely gain access to equipment due to foliage, parked cars or a need to replace the entire lamp column