Last week I was invited to attend and speak at an event which was put on by the Institution of Lighting Professionals and ILP Birmingham entitled ‘Local Authority Lighting: Energy Crisis’
I formed part of a panel who spoke about the energy crisis. Speakers from the day, along with guests from key organisations, joined ILP President Fiona Horgan for an interactive session where the audience were invited to voice their questions.
During the day I learnt that local authority energy costs could be as high as 80p/KWh later this year compared to around 19p/KWh before the current crisis.
This will add millions to local authority lighting and energy bills – extra expense that they can ill-afford. The event, hosted by ILP Birmingham, was designed to unite professionals from across the sector to see if there any solutions.
The panel engaged in an interesting debate which looked at how the industry needs to respond to the energy crisis. Maintaining and improving local authority lighting is now going to be more difficult, but of course it is something that has to be done.
It’s clear that the industry is facing a perfect storm where we have rising energy costs, inflationary costs, and supply chain issues.
Panellists were asked if there is a need for a cross-industry campaign. For me, communication is absolutely key. Ultimately, we’ve got to deliver a consistent message and make sure that it is heard by central government.
I addressed delegates by stating that “everyone is comms”. It is not just the communications or marketing professionals within our respective organisations. It is every one. We all have to deliver key messages on a consistent basis to try and make change happen. We all need to play our part. Local councils have come through crises before and they will do so again. But the importance of working together and learning from one another cannot be underestimated.
By doing this we can make the case for local roads – something which is ingrained in the DNA of the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG).
Alec Peachey
Content Director, LCRIG
To read a full review of the panel debate which Alec took part in look out for the ILP’s Lighting Journal March 2023 edition.