COUNCILLORS have agreed to dim thousands of street lights, in a bid to save £55m over the next 25 years.

Durham County Council’s Labour cabinet today (Wednesday, December 12) agreed to reduce the brightness of 82,000 lights by a quarter between 10pm and midnight and by half between midnight and 5am.

Council chiefs say the scheme will save nearly £24m over 25 years, rising to £55m including inflation.

They also plan to remove 7,000 lights on rural roads and replace outdated pedestrian and traffic signals.

Street lights, illuminated signs and traffic signals make up nearly a fifth of the council’s total carbon emissions, which was 105,816 tonnes in 2008-09, and the changes could reduce emissions from the equipment by 73 per cent, representing a seven per cent cut in the overall total.

The council has set itself a target of reducing its carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2015.

Councillor Bob Young, the cabinet member for strategic environment, told today’s County Hall meeting: “It would have been very difficult to meet our carbon emissions target without this scheme. I’m quite optimistic the targets will be achieved, with this.”

Council chiefs say the dimming will be hardly visible to motorists and pedestrians and some lights on the A167 have been dimmed by a quarter overnight for some years.

Coun Lucy Hovvels, another cabinet member, said she was convinced the dimming would not affect vulnerable people’s bungalows.

The changes are subject to further consultation.

Earlier proposals to outsource street lights under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI), which Coun Young said would have cost around £120m, were dropped.

Meanwhile, the cabinet backed plans to transfer the authority’s 19,000 council houses to a new management organisation.

Council houses in most areas of the county have been owned and managed by social landlords for several years.

However, 6,100 homes in Durham City are managed in-house and 13,000 in Easington and Wear Valley are run by arms-length management organisations.

Council chiefs are looking at putting all 19,000 into the hands of a single organisation.

Tenants would be balloted on the proposal, which would need government approval.

Further developments are expected during next year.