First call on £1 million decarbonisation fund rolled out

16 Oct 2023

A £1 million fund has been launched in West Suffolk to help community organisations reduce their carbon emissions and make energy savings.

The first use of the Decarbonisation Initiatives Fund, set up by West Suffolk Council, is to upgrade street lighting owned by parish or town councils to LED lanterns, and letters are being sent out asking for expressions of interest.

Cllr Gerald Kelly, Cabinet member for Governance and Regulatory, said,

"We are strengthening our commitment to climate action with this fund, by supporting communities to seize opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint. The first call on it is an offer to fund work to bring streetlights owned by town and parish councils up to a modern standard. Converting to LED can reduce energy consumption by as much as 80 per cent, but the upfront capital cost is a barrier for smaller local authorities. We are also asking those councils about other opportunities that their communities may be looking at to reduce their carbon footprint, that could possibly be supported in the future.”

It is estimated that up to 2,000 streetlights are involved and parishes are being asked for expressions of interest by the end of January.

It is broadly estimated that these street lights currently emit over 115 tonnes of CO2 a year which could conservatively be reduced to around 30 tonnes, while releasing savings to spend on other local priorities.

Cllr Kelly added,

"While we are aiming to make these carbon savings in the public realm, I’d like to highlight that LED lights can equally make savings at home and to suggest that it may be worth checking if you are still using old style light bulbs. A simple step that would make a real difference to your household bills and impact on the environment."

---