Croydon is set to upgrade its streetlights to LED technology in August 2026, pending legal sign-off, according to a report presented at the Croydon & Lewisham Street Lighting Joint Committee meeting on Tuesday, 4 November 2025.

The upgrade aims to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency. The committee reviewed the performance of the current street lighting Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and discussed the proposed LED lantern replacements, which are expected to further reduce carbon emissions.

According to the Joint Street Lighting PFI Update report, financial discussions have been held with both Croydon and Lewisham councils, with both authorities agreeing to fund the LED replacement. The authorities are seeking to start installing the new LED lanterns in August 2026, pending the completion of a high value change process in time with all the legal agreements and changes made to the Project Agreement, etc.

John Algar, Street Lighting Manager, told the committee that the authorities are waiting for costs and a supplier of lanterns before they can enter a formal agreement to proceed. He also mentioned that a high-value change process is being signed off to push things forward. Both authorities are seeking the best value/price for the lanterns and are following the high value change process within the contract.

The new LED streetlights will be managed and controlled through the Central Management System (CMS). Both councils opted for the CMS to be installed to all streetlights as part of a mandatory variant solution, which enables lights to be dimmed, or brightened, flexibly, unlike standard solutions where lights only come on and off at fixed ambient light levels.

The committee also discussed prioritisation of areas for the LED upgrades. Councillor Scott Roche, Cabinet Member for Streets and Environment, suggested high traffic areas, while another member suggested piloting the scheme in different areas to learn about potential challenges. Mr Algar said that the service provider is flexible and that he will ask them questions in weekly meetings.

The Joint Street Lighting PFI Update report also highlighted the operational performance standards of the current street lighting system. Key points included:

  • The Core Investment Programme (CIP) was completed on 31 October 2016.
  • Routine scouting of all streetlights is undertaken, with performance measured over a four-month period.
  • The service provider has maintained a high standard of lights in light, averaging 99.93% to 99.98% over various periods.
  • The Central Management System (CMS) is functioning well, allowing for dimming of lights and reducing complaints.

The report also detailed carbon emissions from street lighting, showing a decrease in Croydon from 4,404 tonnes of CO2 in 2016/17 to 1,553 tonnes in 2024/25. In Lewisham, emissions have decreased from 2,839 tonnes of CO2 in 2016/17 to 936 tonnes in 2024/2025.

The committee approved the proposed unitary charges for 2025/6, which are £2.978m for Croydon and £1.675m for Lewisham, based on a 64% to 36% split. They also approved the forecasted contract management and monitoring costs for 2025/6, which are £185,254 for Croydon and £104,205 for Lewisham, also based on a 64% to 36% split.

During the meeting, Councillor Scott Roche was appointed as Chair of the Committee and Councillor Louise Krupski as Vice-Chair for the 2025-2026 municipal year. The committee also approved the minutes of the previous meeting held on Tuesday 10th December 2024, as detailed in the minutes 2024 12 10 - joint street lighting.

The agenda frontsheet and the public reports pack are available online.