Let there be carbon neutral light – Kent Online

Medway Council plans to spend 12million on the replacement of thousands of street lamps to make them carbon neutral.

Around 23,100 could be changed to LED energy saving light bulbs while more than4,000 concrete columns are likely to be replaced. These are deemed cheaper to manage and run in line with the council's environment strategy.

But, a final decision will need to be made by full council on April 23 before work can start. The move was unanimously backed by Medway Council's cabinet during a public meeting at Chatham's Gun Wharf.

Medway councillor Phil Filmer (Con), the portfolio holder for front line services, said: "This programme will be carbon neutral and help to keep our climate change programme up to date. I hope full council agree to it."

However, some concerns have been raised over vandals disrupting works carried out to replace the lights, if approved by councillors later this month.

This comes after 5G network masts were subjected to attacks in parts of the UK, with some claiming that they have contributed to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. Some were set alight in Liverpool and Birmingham.

Medway Council's opposition leader, Cllr Vince Maple (Lab), described the arson as "absolutely ludicrous" and called on all residents to act responsibly.

He added: "The link between the 5G network and the cause of this pandemic is nonsense. If anyone thinks about acting against these street lamps, they need to think long and hard about doing so before doing anything so stupid."

There are 25,667 street lights in Medway, with around 90% of these expected to be upgraded. This is because LED lights are deemed more energy efficient and it is hoped that any repairs needed can be completed quicker in the future.

The proposal also comes amid fears that running costs will grow beyond the council's means, with a 431,000 overspend over the past 18 months.If no action is taken, council bosses say further year on year increases are likely.

A Medway Council paper published ahead of the cabinet meeting stated: "The current situation, where column replacements are prioritised within an inadequate funding envelope, is unsustainable.

"Most columns are already beyond their original design life and even focusingon columns that are deemed structurally unsafe, there is insufficient funding, in annual budgets to meet the needs of this service."

Medway's 55 councillors will decide whether to back the move at the next full council meeting, which remains planned for April 23 at Chatham's Gun Wharf.

Read more: All the latest news from Medway

Read the original post:
Let there be carbon neutral light - Kent Online