Hungerford Town Council take on CCTV

West Berkshire Council cuts force move

HUNGERFORD Town Council may retain some CCTV facility in the town.

But the efficacy of the crime-fighting asset would be greatly reduced – because it would no longer be monitored in real time.

In December, town councillors reacted with dismay over the proposed removal of the CCTV security cameras.

West Berkshire Council currently provides the service, deploying 40 cameras across the district. Four of these are in Hungerford and three in Lambourn.

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

But in its round of proposed budget cuts, West Berkshire Council has stated: “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 later revealed that the cost to the town council of taking over the service as it stands would be £26,000 per year – around 10 per cent of the total precept.

That was the option favoured at a recent meeting of the town council’s highways and transport committee.

Committee chairman Rob Brookman said that, although the camera feed would not be monitored live, it would be stored for up to 30 days before being destroyed.

Doris Colloff formally proposed that the committee recommended to the next full meeting of Hungerford Town Council that the scheme be adopted and paid for.

The proposal was agreed.