A member of Listowel Municipal District (MD) wants the contractor responsible for public lighting to be reminded of their contractual obligations.
At this month’s MD meeting, several councillors expressed frustration at inconsistencies in street lighting repairs.
Mayo company, Electric Skyline was awarded the contract to maintain the county’s nearly 14,000 (13,735) public lights in July 2024.
As part of the service agreement, Electric Skyline must ensure at least 98.5% of lights are operational and that reported lights are repaired within ten working days.
Last winter, numerous councillors criticised long delays getting public lights repaired.
Councillor Jimmy Moloney says that two street lights in the small square on Listowel’s Main Street have been out since last June.
He said he understands some of the lighting stock is decorative and consequently replacement parts are difficult to source.
However, he questioned how it can happen that, when neighbouring lights go out, one may be repaired while the other is not.
Councillor Tom Barry called on Kerry County Council to review all public lights within the MD to ensure all are working as we enter the winter period.
He said there are estates where all the lights have gone out and the streets are in complete darkness, describing the situation as an “accident waiting to happen”
Kerry County Council management said maintenance is “significantly influenced” by the age of the public lighting stock.
To combat this, the council is partaking in the Public Lighting Energy Efficiency Project (PLEEP) to retrofit outdated public lights to more energy efficient LED fittings.
Management also said the council tracks contractual KPIs on a weekly basis, and conducts monthly patrols to identify faults.
