Street Lights - What do you Think?

Written by Councillor Nick Gurr

Here is a question for you. How many streetlights are there in Horton Kirby and South Darenth Parish? The answer is well over 100. Of these, 97 are the responsibility of the Parish Council. Well, in fact 96 at the moment as one of them appears to have been stolen.

How much do they cost? The budget allocated for 2026-27, which includes electricity maintenance and repairs amounts to £17K. That is well over 10% of the Parish Council budget and, with energy prices going up and up, it is only going to increase. Unfortunately, vandalism must also be considered. Every time a light is vandalised and replaced it costs us – or rather you – between £300 and 600 to repair. Some lights have been vandalised many times. As this is an unknown figure, several thousand pounds has been factored into this budget figure.

So, while we can grow attached the current levels of streetlighting (although not so attached to notice one being pinched) we do need to ask whether these costs are the best use of scarce Parish Council funds, and whether the current model is sustainable. We would welcome your views on this.

By way of background, the Parish Council is not legally obliged to provide street lighting. It is required to ensure that any lighting provided works and is maintained. It is within our gift to reduce the number of streetlights or remove them completely.

Over the last month or so, I have visited on foot every Council funded lamppost in the Parish – an odyssey made all the more challenging by the recent weather. It is clear there is no logic or pattern to where they are located. Some, as you might expect, are in the main areas of habitation. But even there the density of lighting varies. Others are scattered along connecting roads or in some cases outside the Parish boundary altogether.

The Parish Council thinks there could be scope to reduce the current number, and with it the costs we pay for maintenance and energy. This would involve thinning them out in areas like Saxon place and The Street and removing them completely from others like Eglantine Lane and Mussenden Lane. I believe a 25% reduction is achievable and would reduce our costs and liability by several thousand pounds a year.

Tinkering with current system is unlikely to save much money. The lights are already switched off in the most silent hours of the night. Reducing the amount they are used a bit more might save a tiny bit on energy. But most of our costs are on maintenance and replacing vandalised lights – which would not change.

Or we could adopt a more radical solution – as they have in Otford, with an environmentally friendly (and vandal unfriendly) dark skies policy which means for many parts there is no streetlighting at all.

The Parish Council would not wish to embark on a course of action without understanding Parishioners views.

SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK? Would you wish us to maintain the current level of streetlights – noting that the costs will increase each year?

Should we go completely dark, like Otford?

Or would you favour a reduction, accepting the impacts this would have?

Please let us know your thoughts by 30 April.