Dismay over threat to town security cameras

Council exploring alternative proposals

HUNGERFORD town councillors have reacted with dismay over the proposed removal of CCTV cameras.

West Berkshire Council currently provides the crime-fighting service, deploying 40 cameras across the district.

Four of these are in Hungerford and three in Lambourn.

The cameras are monitored around the clock by staff at a central control room at Windsor and Maidenhead Council.

But in its round of proposed budget cuts, West Berkshire Council has stated: “Nationally, crime is low and in West Berkshire this is no different.

“In fact, crime has fallen consistently over the last five years.

“Unless we receive assurances from the appropriate town and parish councils and from Thames Valley Police that they are prepared to fully fund this service it is proposed to suspend this service from April 1, 2016.”

Hungerford mayor Martin Crane has written to West Berkshire Council chief executive Nick Carter, asking for more time to consider alternative proposals.

He wrote: “The recent announcement concerning the possible disconnection of our CCTV cameras came as a shock, even if we can understand the reasoning behind such decisions given the strictures of the [district council] budget.

“We are seeking ways and means and to establish some form of public response to sucha shock but as things stand, [you] are requiring a response to this consultation by December 14.

“Frankly, this is far too short a period and I ask that you might have this extended to at least January 14 to allow proper consultation with residents.

“I am sure that this request would be supported by many other councils.”

Mr Crane revealed that the cost to the town council of taking over the service would be £26,000 per year – around 10 per cent of the precept.

He told the Newbury Weekly News: “There are other possibilities. For example, the main percentage of the cost appears to be monitoring the cameras.

“It might be better to lose the round-the-clock monitoring, which would mean the cost was more like £6,500, than to disconnect them altogether.

“That way, if a crime has been committed, police will still have access to the footage.

“Another option we want to explore is to come to some joint agreement over funding with, say, Newbury and Thatcham town councils.”

There was a different story in Lambourn, however.

When the issue of the village CCTV cameras was raised at a recent public meeting to discuss the effect on services of proposed budget cuts, the consensus from the floor was that they were not worth saving.

The Lambourn cameras have long been a bone of contention, with residents questioning their efficacy after they were bedevilled for years by technical problems.