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