YESTERDAY Oxfordshire received almost £13m for our roads and drains.

It is, of course, not to be sneezed at, but you have to wonder if there is, perhaps, an election looming?

Oxfordshire County Council is planning to use some of the money for a widespread scheme to replace more than 4,000 street lights.

They are not far off their end of reasonable life, being more than three decades old.

Perhaps it might not seem the most pressing project to spend this Government gift on, but they are a significant part of both road and personal safety.

It is remarkable that the county has so many lamp posts at ‘the end of the road’, if you’ll excuse the pun, and the council with its regular budget cuts must have been dreading what would have been a significant capital cost of £3.6m coming all at once.

There is, however, a downside if the aesthetically pleasing ones in places like Iffley go and are replaced by more modern designs out of keeping with their locales.

But time marches on and there is one modern aspect that must be applauded: newer technology that will not only cut costs, but also be more energy efficient.

Now there’s a bright idea.