Lighting Live Local Authority in Daventry is now just days away. Make sure you don’t miss out on what is set to be an enthralling day of CPD and networking
The Is are dotted and the Ts are crossed – all that’s needed now is for the debate, discussion, professional growth and learning to begin.
We are just days away from Lighting Live Local Authority in Daventry, Northamptonshire, and so, if you haven’t yet registered, now’s the moment.
To recap, the much-anticipated CPD day will return to the Mercure Court Hotel in Daventry on 5 February, with physical registration opening from 9am.
The event will bring together local authority lighting teams and others to discuss the pressures, challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
UNLOCKING INCOME STREAMS
One of the highlights of what promises to be an enthralling day of knowledge-sharing and networking will be the afternoon panel discussion.
Last year’s similar event discussed changes to procurement and PFI. This year’s theme will be ‘commercialisation’, with a particular focus on how local authorities can unlock new revenue opportunities and develop new income streams from their existing lighting assets.
Topics set to be covered will include the role of 5G, small cell installations, banner, CCTV, and digital advertising in this debate. There will also be discussion around the different charging models available to local authorities, and what authorities are charging for locally.
The panellists will include Richard Webster, street lighting services manager at Suffolk Streetlighting; Dean Wendelborn, project manager – street lighting at Westminster City Council; Adrian Foster, electrical operations manager at Via East Midlands; Karl Rourke, service manager, street lighting at East Riding of Yorkshire Council; and ILP Past President Fiona Horgan, head of service – lighting and traffic engineering at Islington Council.
TOUCH POTENTIAL RISKS
Another addition to the line-up in Daventry, and not to be missed, will be Daniel Scolari, associate director at WSP, who will discuss ‘assessing touch potential risks in public highway EV charging infrastructure’.
This will include assessing the options available to manage the risk of touch potentials, earthing system harmonisation, the role of physical separation, the insulation of exposed conductive parts, and electrical protective devices.
Anthony Smith, director at Stainton Lighting Design Services and an ILP Past President, will discuss the application of dual distribution networks – in a talk that has proved popular among the ILP regions.
He will also consider future applications, including fully off-grid solutions, provision of connectivity to smart technology and the potential for the ‘leaching’ of a dark fibre network to create revenue for the authority.
Ryan McGibbon, EV infrastructure manager at Southwark Council, will outline his borough’s EV infrastructure ‘journey’, including how the borough has been working to make the transition from traditional concession-based delivery models to a more progressive ‘own and operate’ approach.
Ben Hiscott, national accounts manager at CU Phosco, will consider how local authorities can transition ‘the humble lamppost’ into much more of a smart asset, in the process unlocking both commercial and connectivity potential.
As well as being on the panel discussion, Karl Rourke will update members on East Riding’s highway decarbonisation pilot with Live Labs 2, which is now drawing to a close.
HEADLINE SPONSORS
The headline sponsors for the 2026 event are Charles Endirect, Glamox, McCann, Lucy Zodion and Schréder, who will all present sponsor pitches throughout the day.
There will be a lively exhibition space where the industry can connect with local authority lighting professionals, specifiers, designers, engineers and industry leaders.
The event, to recap, is free to attend for local authority delegates, and £65 for commercial attendees who are also ILP members and £85 otherwise.
This is an abridged version of the article that appears in the February edition of Lighting Journal. To read the full article, simply click on the page-turner to your right.
Full registration and programme details can be found at: https://theilp.org.uk/events/lighting-live-local-authority-2026.html
Image: the Mercure Court Hotel in Daventry
WHAT: Lighting Live Local Authority
WHEN: Thursday 5 February
WHERE: Mercure Court Hotel, Daventry, Northamptonshire
HOW TO REGISTER: go to https://theilp.org.uk/events/lighting-live-local-authority-2026.html
