Blackout Britain

The areas with the brightest and darkest streets revealed

It is well-known that energy prices have soared in recent years, raising concerns about the cost of keeping Britain’s streets lit for many regions.

In the last year, areas such as Cornwall have seen their street light costs increase by more than £1million¹. In other areas, councils are considering turning their street lighting off². This has sparked debates around public safety, sustainability, and spending, while others are concerned about persistent street lighting coming through their curtains and blinds.

The experts at Hillarys have delved into a wealth of data obtained through Freedom of Information requests from councils and government spending data to reveal which council areas have the brightest and darkest streets and which councils are spending the most on street lighting.

Sunderland has the best-lit streets in Great Britain

1. Sunderland
Council-managed street lighting units per 10,000 people: 1,780

In first place for council areas in Great Britain with the best-lit streets is Sunderland. As of 2024, the city council has reported that there are 50,024 under their management, 1,780 per 10,000 people. With Sunderland’s crime rate being 144% of the national average per 1,000 people³, it’s possible that extra expenditure is being invested in street lights as a crime deterrent.

2. Aberdeen
Council-managed street lighting units per 10,000 people: 1,704

In second place is Aberdeen, which has 1,704 street lights managed by the local council per 10,000 people. Aberdeen is known as the “Oil Capital of Europe” given its proximity to the North Sea oil fields. As such, the city’s economy is primarily made up of the energy industry. Additionally, the council has many policies on street lighting to increase traffic safety and reduce crime. There is also a current project to replace street lights with more eco-friendly LEDs.

3. Dundee
Council-managed street lighting units per 10,000 people: 1,651

With 1,651 street lights per 10,000 people, Dundee rounds out the top three British council areas. As with all council areas, there is an initiative to implement street lighting to improve public safety. However, Dundee additionally has its City Lights and City Nights concept, a bid to enhance the city centre’s attractiveness through unique lighting and atmosphere.

Britain’s darkest streets are in Norwich

1. Norwich
Council-managed street lighting units per 10,000 people: 175

Norwich has just 175 street lights per 10,000 people, making it the council area in Great Britain with the fewest street lights per 10,000 people. Since 2008, Norwich and Norfolk county have aimed to reduce the amount of street lighting to reduce costs and carbon emissions. So far, they have saved £1.4 million and reduced carbon emissions by 7,500 tonnes⁴.

2. Tower Hamlets
Council-managed street lighting units per 10,000 people: 339

In second place is the London borough of Tower Hamlets, with just 339 street lights per 10,000 people. Despite being in London, which has around 2.3 million street lights, Tower Hamlets is one of the worst-lit council areas in Great Britain. This could result from the green policies implemented in London in recent years to reduce carbon emissions.

3. Hackney
Council-managed street lighting units per 10,000 people: 429

In third place is Hackney, another London borough, with 429 street lights per 10,000 people. Hackney Borough Council currently aims to reach net zero emissions by 2040, meaning it is in the process of removing many street lights and replacing them with LEDs.

Blackpool spares no expense on street lighting

1. Blackpool
Street light operating expenditure per 10,000 people: £515,528

Blackpool is in first place for British councils that have spent the most on street light operations per 10,000 people, at over half a million pounds. The council area also ranked sixth for the most street lights per 10,000 people, likely contributing to higher operating costs. As the well-known expression goes, “It’s like Blackpool illumination in here!” well, it seems to ring true.

2. Newcastle upon Tyne
Street light operating expenditure per 10,000 people: £276,656

Newcastle upon Tyne is second among the councils spending the most on street lighting. From 2022–2023, the council spent over £276,000 per 10,000 people on running its street lights. This could be attributed mainly to the large number of street lighting, the Newcastle ranking within the top 15 councils.

3. Coventry
Street light operating expenditure per 10,000 people: £258,440

Coventry takes third place, spending £258,440 per 10,000 people to run its street lights from 2022–2023. These costs could be attributed to the city using older, less energy-efficient street lighting. Either way, these high costs are of concern to the council. A new policy will see street lights shut off during parts of the night to reduce costs, the council claiming up to £700,000 and a one-fifth reduction in carbon emissions⁵.

Yvonne Keal, senior product manager at Hillarys comments on curtains, blinds and streetlighting:

“It has to be recognised that street lighting plays a vital role as a crime deterrent and makes people feel more safe when out and about during the evening. However, it can be frustrating to have street lighting beaming into your bedroom while trying to sleep.

For keeping light out, a range of solutions are available, from blackout curtains and blinds to shutters. Blackout options, in particular, help improve sleep by creating a darker, more restful environment, which also supports your body’s natural circadian rhythm. This is especially helpful for those sensitive to light or those who work night shifts and have to sleep during the day.

Thick curtains or blinds can also enhance home security by preventing outsiders from seeing into your home. Motorised options are available too, which can be programmed to close automatically, giving the impression that someone is home even when you’re away.”

Methodology

To begin with, we sent a Freedom of Information request to 82 different British councils, asking how many street lights they had under their management. We received 70 responses, with 64 offering the data we needed. We then removed Ipswich and Colchester (both of which don’t manage the entirety of their areas’ street lighting) and the City of London to avoid skewing the data with such low figures.

We then used data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to get England councils’ street light operating expenditure for 2022–23 from the “Revenue outturn highways and transport services (RO2) 2022 to 2023” datasheet. Using the Scottish Government’s “Local government finance statistics,” we took the cost of “non-road lighting” for 2022–23. Then, using StatsWales, we were able to cite the street lighting cost for Welsh council areas for 2022–23.

References

• BBC News – Cornwall street lighting cost
• The Guardian – Councils plan to turn off street lights
• Plum Plot – Sunderland crime statistics
• EDP24 – Norfolk street lighting scheme
• BBC News – Coventry street lighting costs