Proposal to dim Bury streetlights to reduce council costs

This review will examine whether charging can be done at sites in Prestwich, Radcliffe, Whitefield, Tottington and Ramsbottom without affecting the ‘viability’ of each town.

Councilors are yet to reach agreement on any of the proposals that are due to be presented to the Labor leadership at a meeting next week as they start setting the 2025-26 budget.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, other proposed measures include reducing some senior government positions through layoffs and early retirement.

It is understood the district car park review will only aim to introduce charging where it is “commercially viable”.

The move is expected to generate around £126,000 in revenue, while dimming streetlights will save around £209,000 a year in energy costs.

The budget-saving measures were introduced after Bury Town Hall’s finance chiefs warned that difficult decisions needed to be made as the process of setting the 2025/26 budget began.

The council has already identified a huge budget shortfall of £35 million for the three years to 2028.

The authority said potential savings of £9.4m had been identified and adding other measures would reduce the remaining difference to around £22m.