The rush to reduce street lighting maintenance following widespread LED adoption is putting critical infrastructure at risk and could derail smart city ambitions, industry leaders have warned.
As local authorities across the UK grapple with unprecedented budget pressures, the growing trend to minimise or eliminate routine maintenance of LED street lighting installations threatens to undermine both existing infrastructure and future technology integration. With councils’ overall core funding projected to be 9% lower in real terms and 18% lower in real terms per person than at the start of the 2010s[1], many are looking to reduce street lighting costs – a decision that experts have warned could have significant long-term consequences.
The warning comes as councils face mounting pressure to reduce operational costs following major LED conversion projects. While LED technology delivers significant energy savings and extended operational life, the wholesale reduction in maintenance programmes overlooks the critical role of street lighting columns in supporting smart city infrastructure.
Industry investigation from TRT Lighting suggests that a typical mid-sized local authority can maintain stocks of up to 140 different types of streetlight luminaires, translating to over 1,000 individual units in storage. This complexity, combined with reduced maintenance schedules, creates significant operational inefficiencies and ties up substantial public funds in idle inventory.
“Where smart city initiatives are being developed, we need to ensure our lighting infrastructure is robust enough to support these new technologies,” says Ross Evans, Managing Director of TRT Lighting. “That means maintaining not just the lights, but the entire supporting infrastructure. The integration of EV charging, environmental monitoring, and telecommunications equipment demands a more rigorous approach to maintenance, not less.”
The challenge is further complicated by the upcoming changes to local authority procurement frameworks in Spring 2025. These changes will emphasise broader value considerations beyond simple cost reduction, potentially reshaping how councils approach infrastructure maintenance.
“It’s not just about cost any more for local authorities,” said Michala Medcalf, Street Lighting Manager at Derby City Council. “Local authorities should be looking at sustainability and social value – and that includes maintaining our assets responsibly for the long term.”
A recent industry white paper examining street lighting maintenance trends suggests that integrating street lighting with emerging technologies like EV charging will necessitate more frequent inspections and maintenance, directly challenging the current trend toward minimal maintenance schedules.
To download the paper, click here.
[1] https://ifs.org.uk/publications/how-have-english-councils-funding-and-spending-changed-2010-2024#:~:text=Taking%20the%20period%202010%E2%80%9311,the%20start%20of%20the%202010s.