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Funding row over city centre CCTV |
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A row has broken out over
who should foot the annual bill for CCTV
in Norwich, council taxpayers or businesses. Government funding for the £250,000-a-year
scheme is due to run out next month and Hereward Cooke, deputy leader of the Liberal-Democrat-run
city council, thinks shops and firms should pay for it.
But Home Secretary and
Norwich South MP Charles Clarke insists the council must stump up the cash. Mr
Clarke said: "The responsibility for proper local security including CCTV, alley-gating
and community wardens is correctly a matter for local government." Mr Cooke said
the cash for the network would have to come from the council – from council tax
– but he would prefer it if businesses shared some of the burden. "Norfolk Constabulary
funding was cut year-on-year and the city council now has to pay £250,000 a year.
"This is the continuing saga of more and more public services that provide security
being placed on local shoulders and on council tax payers." In Yarmouth, 110 local
businesses help support its CCTV
camera network through the Town Centre Partnership. "I would be interested
to know how much the partnership is able to raise through that means," said Mr
Cooke. "It's possible the Norwich economy is too different for this to work here
as many of the companies in the city are national and even international. "I regret
it utterly but it is very difficult for us to get money out of the major chains."
In Yarmouth, the town's CCTV
cameras are paid for by local businesses. According to Jonathan Newman, Yarmouth's
town centre manager, there are 150 businesses which do not contribute, "but perhaps
should". Steve Morphew, leader of the opposition Labour group on the city council,
said: "It seems a bit late in the day to be raising this as an issue when the
council have had so much time to do something about it before." Jim Wilson, chairman
of Norfolk Police Authority, said the council had known for years about constabulary
funding. He said: "CCTV
systems all around the county and country are run with funding from local
business people and grants. "I don't see why it should be any different here in
Norwich." But local businesses disagreed. Paul Fisher, owner of Fine City Sound
in St Gregory's Alley, said: "I would not be able to afford to help with the CCTV
costs but even if I could, I am not sure that I would want to." Richard Stubbings,
who owns Kulture Shock and The Lounge, in St Benedict's, said: "We pay a lot for
our rates and get very little for it. CCTV is an excellent idea but money to fund
it should be taken from our rates." Martin Webb, owner of Circular Sounds in St
Benedict's, said: "It seems like the council is passing the buck on to businesses
again. We are already paying a lot through our rates. I don't see why we businesses
should foot the bill." Norwich's CCTV
network includes 66 city centre cameras, 13 Norfolk County Council urban traffic
control cameras and 12 car park cameras. from EDP24 |
