AN AWARD-winning street-lighting system that could save taxpayers millions of pounds has been shelved for the second time - because the Bury Council cannot afford it.

In 2005, Councillor John Grimshaw tabled a plan to follow in the footsteps of Tameside Council, which has saved taxpayers £2 million, by changing the wiring so there is no need to pay a power-supply company.

The council originally stalled on the idea because bosses said Bury had the wrong kind of lamp posts for the new device, but they later changed their mind.

Then, last summer, councillors ordered them to test the system and report the findings to the recent meeting of Whitefield and Unsworth Local Area Partnership (LAP).

But at that meeting, co-ordinator Rose De said the trial didn’t happen because the council has no funds available. She said it could happen between April and March 2009, but only if cash is available.

Councillor Wayne Campbell said he was puzzled as to why the council would not want to do something simple to save taxpayers money.

He said: “Tameside Council is a good council and their system has been proven time and again to save money.

“No-one is saying that it needs to result in jobs being lost at the council; we are just saying it can save much-needed cash.

“It really concerns me and puzzles me that council officers have taken it upon themselves to make this decision when politicians have told them to go ahead with it.

“The council has a fund called Invest And Save, which is money set aside for projects which are proven to save money in the long run. Why isn’t that money being used?”

LAP chairwoman, councillor Michelle Wiseman said: “It is something we have to look at. This is an idea that, if we can implement, can save the council a lot of money and I will be doing my best to ensure that we can find funding to do it in the next tax year.

“The reason we have not dealt with it yet is because we already have a backlog of road and pavement repairs that need to be carried out and money has to be found for all these projects.”