Proposal to dim council streetlights to cut costs

Streetlights could be turned down in some areas of Bury to save council cash

A borough's streetlights could be dimmed by 50% as part of a council effort to cut costs.

The proposal would see some lights across Bury turned down between 00:00 and 06:00 to save on energy costs.

It is one of a number budget-saving measures that have been put before Bury Council as the authority looks to plug a £35m shortfall in the next three years.

Others include a review into whether a flat £2 charge could be brought in at the council's 40 free car parks.

Cost-cutting

This will look into whether fees could be brought in at sites in the towns of Prestwich, Radcliffe, Whitefield, Tottington and Ramsbottom, without affecting the "vibrancy" of each town.

Councillors have yet to agree on either of the proposals, which are to be put before the authority's Labour leadership at a meeting next week as they start setting the budget for the 2025-2026 year.

Other measures being put forward include cutting some senior roles within the authority through redundancy and early retirement, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It is understood the review of district car parking will only aim to introduce charges where it is "commercially viable".

The move is expected to generate about £126,000 in revenue, while dimming streetlights would save about £209,000 per year in energy costs.

The budget-saving measures come as town hall finance chiefs in Bury warned that tough decisions would need to be made as they start the process to set a budget for 2025/26.

The council has already identified a massive budget shortfall of £35m for the three years up to 2028.

Potential savings of £9.4m have been identified, the authority has said, adding other measures would reduce the remaining gap to about £22m.