Numbers and maintenance of street lighting columns
Case reference FOI2025/00801
Received 21 April 2025
Published 12 May 2025
Request
Please find below a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for information which should be directed to your Highways Department, specifically the department that deals with public street lighting.
I would be grateful if you could respond to the following 4 questions please:
1) How many public lighting columns is your authority responsible for?
2) In a typical year how many lighting columns does your authority test for structural integrity? Information on electrical testing is not required.
3) What methodology does your authority use to test structural integrity? e.g. Ultrasonic Testing (UT), push-pull method etc. If you use more than one method please state all methods used on a regular basis and state which is the most used method.
4) In a typical year, how many lighting columns does your authority replace? Preferably the response should be replacements due to condition or end of serviceable life rather than replacement due to accidental damage, however if condition/service life data only is not available, then total number of replacements typically per annum is sufficient.
Response
Please find below a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for information which should be directed to your Highways Department, specifically the department that deals with public street lighting. I would be grateful if you could respond to the following 4 questions please: 1) How many public lighting columns is your authority responsible for?
Answer: 12,287
2) In a typical year how many lighting columns does your authority test for structural integrity? Information on electrical testing is not required.
Answer: The Service Area have advised we check approx. 2,050 lighting columns per annum. Please be advised these are visible checks.
3) What methodology does your authority use to test structural integrity? e.g. Ultrasonic Testing (UT), push-pull method etc. If you use more than one method, please state all methods used on a regular basis and state which is the most used method.
Answer: The Service Area have advised, where required, we use the Ultrasonic Testing (UT) method through a third party.
4) In a typical year, how many lighting columns does your authority replace? Preferably the response should be replacements due to condition or end of serviceable life rather than replacement due to accidental damage, however if condition/service life data only is not available, then total number of replacements typically per annum is sufficient.
Answer: The Service Area have advised we do not have the figures for a typical year, however in the last few years we have changed 600 end-of-life columns within a programme, and we generally change approx. 10 columns per annum through structural test failures.
Documents
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