Street lights could be updated in £1m scheme
BBC- Councillors approve £1m to be spent on street light upgrades
- West Suffolk Council says the change to LED could reduce energy bills
- The plan is due to be approved by full council next week
An investment of £1m has been supported by councillors to convert 1,500 old parish and street lights into energy-saving alternatives.
West Suffolk Council believes a plan to use LEDs could save 80 tonnes of planet-warming greenhouse gas CO2 every year and help reduce energy costs.
The move is due to be debated and decided by a full council meeting on Tuesday.
An investment of £442,000 had been made by the previous Conservative administration.
Independent councillor Gerald Kelly, the portfolio holder for governance and regulatory, said: "There is a massive bill to get the lights upgraded and, once they do, parish councils can save a lot of money.
"This is an easy way of having a large reduction in the district’s use of energy."
Conservative councillor Sarah Broughton said: "It’s better for the environment and it will help some towns and parishes.
"But it is a lot of money to be putting into this during a cost of living crisis."
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