The countdown is well and truly on for next month’s ILP Lighting Live Local Authority in Daventry. Registration is now open, so do book your space for what is set to be a fascinating day of CPD, networking and industry showcasing.
Registration is now open for next month’s ILP Lighting Live Local Authority event in Daventry, Northamptonshire – so don’t delay!
The much-anticipated CPD day on 5 February will return to the Mercure Court Hotel in Daventry and will bring together local authority lighting teams and others to discuss the pressures, challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
Last year’s event had changes to procurement and PFI as key talking points. This year’s theme will be ‘commercialisation’, with a particular focus on how local authorities can unlock new revenue opportunities from their existing lighting assets.
NEW INCOME STREAMS
To that end, there will be a keynote panel discussion on ‘What can local authorities do to generate new income streams?’, which will explore practical approaches to monetising infrastructure.
This includes consider everything from licensing third-party attachments to lighting columns such as small cells, Wi-Fi and CCTV, to advertising, banners, and innovative lighting solutions that generate value while maintaining safety and standards.
Keynote speakers will include Anthony Smith, director at Stainton Lighting Design Services and an ILP Past President, who will discuss the application of dual distribution networks, including talking about a case study on the Durham Innovation District Project.
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 and infrastructure manager at Southwark Council, will outline his borough’s EV infrastructure ‘journey’.
In particular, he will talk about how Southwark has been working to make the transition from traditional concession-based delivery models to a more progressive ‘own and operate’ approach. He will also outline some of the financial, operational, and political considerations behind this shift.
Ben Hiscott, national accounts manager at CU Phosco, will then 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.
He will explore how advances in policy, planning, and innovation are enabling councils to unlock new revenue streams, maximise asset value, and deliver practical solutions through the intelligent evolution of their lighting infrastructure.
Returning to Daventry, Karl Rourke, service manager, street lighting at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, will update members on his innovative highway decarbonisation pilot with Live Labs 2, which is now drawing to a close.
He will present the findings from his work so far, next steps of the project, post-project uptake, and outline his plans to roll the pilot out across the wider East Riding of Yorkshire area.
Finally, Richard Chaplin, UK and Ireland sales manager at Telensa, will consider the value, spread, and application of column/lantern-mounted sensor options for smart city IoT applications.
Look out, too, in next month’s edition of Lighting Journal for a special focus on the pressures, challenges and opportunities faced by local authority street lighting teams. This includes, yes, commercialisation, but also resource and skills shortages, asset management and, overlaying the day to day, uncertainty around what local government reorganisation will mean for lighting teams.
HEADLINE SPONSORS
The headline sponsors for the 2026 event are Charles Endirect, Lucy Zodion, McCann and Schréder. 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 is free to attend for local authority delegates, and £65 for commercial attendees who are also ILP members and £85 otherwise.
Full registration details can be found at: https://theilp.org.uk/events/lighting-live-local-authority-2026.html
This is an abridged version of the article that appears in the January edition of Lighting Journal. To read the full article, simply click on the page-turner to your right.
Image: the panel discussion at last year’s Lighting Live Local Authority in Daventry
