Falmouth car park CCTV funding cut
12:56pm Wednesday 31st October 2012 in News
A DECISION to cut funding for CCTV cameras in car parks has been slammed by members of Falmouth Town Council.
The council’s finance and general purposes committee was told of the changes to the funding on Monday.
Town clerk Mark Williams told the meeting: “Since Cornwall Council stopped funding CCTV as a matter of course we are one of the stakeholders who now run it as a group of three towns.
“It has allowed us to maintain CCTV monitoring at certain times each week.
“Until now Cornwall Council’s car parks department has contributed to it, but now they are not planning to do that for next year. To maintain CCTV in car parks we will have to pay the extra.”
Councillor Allyson Biggins asked: “Why can’t we just have the cameras that we want switched on instead?”
Councillor David Sterratt, chairman of the committee, responded: “The cameras will work everywhere at the moment, but if those in the car parks go wrong, they should not be repaired.”
Councillor Alan Jewell said: “Why should we have to cough up for this when Cornwall Council is not willing to do it themselves?”
Councillor Diana Merrett said: “They are removing a lot of protection from towns and parishes and saying they have no money, but they are giving money to the Newquay Safe scheme.
“They are giving them all of the cash and they are hanging the rest of us out to dry.”
Councillor Oliver Cramp added: “They should see the CCTV cameras as part of the service they provide in car parks.The cost of it would be only a few days taking at the car parks over the year.”
The committee will write to Cornwall Council asking the authority to reconsider.
Car park CCTV has helped solve a number of crimes. Should it be switched off or should funding be found. Contact the Packet via Facebook or twitter or email jonathan.millar@packetseries.co.uk.
CCTV: Fight spills over into Falmouth car park
seacom says...
11:05am Sat 3 Nov 12