Lights Will Not Go Out as after Council U-turn on Streetlights

Lights Will Not Go Out as after Council U-turn on Streetlights.

Town and Parish Councils across Eden are celebrating after an about turn by Westmorland and Furness Council on charges it had notified the parish councils in the Eden are that would amount to £140 including vat per streetlight the councils had been forced to take on by the former Eden Council.

Some communities have taken on large numbers of streetlights since 2018 from the former Eden District Council.

The notification of the charges issued last week by the council to town and parish councils across Eden caused fears they may have to consider turning streetlight off due to the 52% increase in costs they were facing backdated to April 2023.

Westmorland and Furness Council said “after further discussions the councils will no longer be recharged for the former district-owned footway lighting. Meaning the plans to invoice town and parish council for 2023/24 and 2024 to 2025 will no longer be invoiced.

The Council also said there is now to be a review of the lighting policy for the whole of Westmorland and Furness are during 2024.