Routine street lighting maintenance has been axed in Derbyshire, following huge budget cuts.
Derbyshire County Council said it can only afford to replace 12,000 street lights in the next financial year, following a £775,000 cut to its street lighting maintenance budget.
"Our current budget allows for around 12,000 street light faults to be repaired, but we anticipate around 18,000 may fail because we propose to stop routine lamp replacement," said a Derbyshire County Council spokesperson.
The council will be consulting with the public from Monday 16 June to obtain their views on which lamps should be replaced and which should be left unattended.
The council proposes certain locations be given priority, such as main traffic routes, places with high levels of night time crime or road accidents, enclosed footpaths and alleyways, and around hospitals and emergency service sites. But any decisions will be influenced by the consultation.
The council also recommends maintaining street lights which were installed for community safety reasons.
Currently, lamps are generally replaced every three-to-four years. The majority of street lighting stock in Derbyshire is a combination of low and high pressure sodium.
"The authority is currently considering LED technology and dimming," explained the spokesperson. "We are seeking the opinion of residents. This also forms part of the consultation exercise which starts on Monday."
While Derbyshire County Council is leaving street lights it can't afford to maintain to go out, other councils are actively turning lamps off to cut costs. Shropshire Council, for example, is turning a number of lights off from midnight in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and lower energy costs.
About 12,500 of the 18,900 street lights maintained by the council are being converted to part-night lighting. A poll in the local paper, Stropshire Star, shows over half of residents are on board with the idea, but concerns have been raised by councillors and civic leaders about the potential increase in crime and the impact on vulnerable people, such as the elderly.
