Part of a £600 million Government fund could be used to help in the massive task of replacing Bradford's 30,000 ageing street lights.

Transport minister Karen Buck announced the scheme earlier this week which will allow local authorities to finance major improvement projects through a type of mortgage deal.

As reported in the T&A in the summer, two thirds of Bradford's street lights are in need of repair and at the present rate of replacement it would take 200 years to renew every one.

But Council officers today warned that any money the Government makes available won't come for free. In fact it could cost the authority more than £1 million a year for 25 years in costs.

It is estimated Bradford Council needs a lump sum of around £30 million to replace the district's defective street lights.

The Council's ruling executive is expected to look at the issue in January and the authority would have to draw up a first stage bid for cash by late February.

Council chiefs believe the bidding process will take years and have calculated that, even if they get some, it will be 2008 before any of the money can be spent.

If Bradford Council decides to enter the process it will have to put a bid forward by February 24. The Government will then announce the successful authorities in April.

It will then have six months to put forward more detailed bids. If the paperwork stands up, the authority would then need to find a contractor willing to take on the 25-year contract and that could take up to 18 months.

Alan Mainwaring, Bradford Council's director of transportation, design and planning, said: "There are a lot of questions to be asked, because whilst the Government will allocate money, they will also want the Council to allocate more money than it currently spends.

"This is probably the only way to get a lot of extra money into street lighting but the Council needs to work out the revenue consequences as well as the capital consequences."

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, Bradford Council's executive member for the environment, said the authority would need to find a way of financing the deal before it could bid for the cash but admitted: "The reality is that street lighting is in a faltering position."