Westminster street lamp pay-back cut to 750 years

Now just £15m to save £20k a year

By Lester Haines • Get more from this author

Posted in Public Sector, 31st May 2007 08:40 GMT

Someone owes Westminster City Council an apology: the amortisation period on its new planet-saving street lamps is not, as we reported yesterday, an astounding 1,450 years, but a rather more modest 750 years.

To recap, the borough is upgrading all of its street lighting to incorporate new £1,000-a-hit Furyo Lanterns. This will save the council £20,000 a year but, as the BBC claimed yesterday, Westminster boasts 29,000 street lights, meaning an initial outlay of £29m and therefore a rather long time before the new kit started to actually save money.

Well, the Beeb has now updated the story with some revised figures, viz: Westminster actually has just 15,000 street lights, so it will be looking good for the ratepayers' cash in just 750 years.

Having finally got its calculator out, Auntie then moved in for the kill, demanding justification of the council. It notes: "Responding to the fact the scheme would take 750 years for the council to recoup the savings, the spokesman said it was not just a money saving measure but to save energy as well."

So there you have it. A brighter, happier future for our children and our children's children. ®

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