Dudley street light replacement project delayed due to lack of bulbs
A major overhaul of street lighting across a Black Country borough has been delayed – because council officials cannot find a supplier to provide the right kind of electric bulb.
Council bosses said they had not been able to source replacements for a quarter of major roads in Dudley.
The authority had been hoping to press ahead with a programme which would see street lighting replaced across the borough with more environmentally-friendly LED lighting, which is cheaper to run.
But managers at Dudley Council have been left frustrated by suppliers who have not provided what they were looking for.
A council report said the matter was being investigated.
Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for the environment, said: “The council is currently carrying out a two-year programme of replacing and converting the lanterns on street lighting on major roads to comply with new lighting standards, and as part of its Invest to Save project.
"Different design requirements are needed to fit different types of lighting columns and we have been working with suppliers to ensure we have a suitable design, fit for purpose, for about a quarter of the columns.
“We will however be pressing ahead with the programme of replacing lighting on the majority of our main roads while we explore options with suppliers for the remaining ones.
“All lights will continue to stay on until replaced with the new lighting, utilising energy saving LED lanterns.”
A council report said it was hoped the replacement of bulbs could start this month.
It said: "Procurement of lanterns for the major roads lighting replacement programme has been delayed owing to the design standards for about a quarter of all major roads not having been met by any prospective supplier.
"This is presently being investigated but we are confident that a solution can be achieved. We are working towards a start on site now scheduled for October 2017, the programme taking approximately two years to complete."
LED lighting costs less to run, is considered more effective and is also flexible as it can be dimmed at certaintimes of the night. Dudley Council announced in last year's budget that it was to embark on a project to save money through street lighting, including dimming lights on residential roads by 60 per cent between 11am and 5am.
