www.torfaen.gov.uk A Heart Borough Your Community Newspaper


01495 762200 TORFAENTalks August 2012 - Awst 2012


Council’s bright idea


Torfaen council is to switch on hundreds of streetlights without increasing cost or carbon emissions.


The plans, which were presented at a special cabinet meeting in July, will see almost 600 streetlights in residential areas turned on to part- night lighting where lights go off at midnight and back on at 5.30am until it gets light.


This will be achieved without incurring extra energy costs and without increasing carbon emissions, due to new funding and technology that make streetlights more energy efficient.


The 595 lights is roughly 20 per cent of the lamps that were turned off during the decommissioning programme that started in 2009.


The council will replace 124 existing lights with low wattage bulbs that will make the switching on of the 595 lights to timers a cost and carbon neutral process.


The executive member for


neighbourhood services, councillor John Cunningham, said: “This will increase light in residential areas considered most in need and still reduce energy use


and carbon emissions.


“We are increasingly required to make unpopular decisions, as year on year we are receiving less money from the government to spend on services.


“Street lighting is not a statutory service and decommissioning lights is just one of many measures we have taken in response to rising energy prices and pressure to reduce our carbon emissions.


“As a council, we are committed to


reducing energy bills and lowering our carbon footprint, but we need to look at creative ways of doing this.


“Our decommissioning process has


already saved more than £400,000 which has been reinvested in priority services.


“This report demonstrates that even though we are forced to make tough decisions, we are always looking at ways of improving the level of service provided to residents.”


The report also includes plans to


replace 200 entire streetlights that have structural problems and renew cables from 2013 using funding from the Local Government Borrowing initiative.


This will significantly reduce the number of street lighting faults reported across the borough.


Inside »


Local foster carers retire after 22 years see page 2


Good Estyn report for Torfaen Training see page 7


Torfaen welcomes the Olympic Torch Relay see page 8


Adult learning earns local PCSO an award see page 10


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