Council to plug CCTV funding gap amid safety fears

Herefordshire has a network of 179 CCTV cameras, covering both Hereford and the market towns of Ledbury, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye

Herefordshire Council is to plug a funding gap in CCTV running costs after warnings a shortfall would be "devastating" and a danger to public safety.

The county's network of 179 cameras - which costs about £200,000 a year to monitor and maintain - is used by councils, businesses and West Mercia Police to investigate crime and to respond to anti-social behaviour.

But the real-time monitoring of the system was thrown into doubt when Hereford City Council announced it would stop its share of funding from mid-May.

Hereford's city centre Business Improvement District (BID) group had shared fears of a 50% cut to operating hours, which could have made, it said, the night time economy less safe.

"It deals with thousands and thousands of incidents each year... it provides the police with key intelligence," said

"It's the ability for businesses to report to CCTV, who can then immediately monitor a suspect, trace where they're going from street to street, and coordinate with the police to intercept. You can say goodbye to all that," Mike Truelove, chief executive of Hereford BID, had warned.

Significant upgrades had been made to the CCTV network in recent years, partly in response to a series of sexual offences in July and August 2022.

But in November, Hereford City Council, one of the system's funders, announced it would end its contribution. It had been due to pay £54,000 in 2024/25.

While West Mercia's police and crime commissioner, John Campion, is set to invest in a further 46 cameras in Leominster and Ross-on-Wye, he too has also ended revenue funding for the system's running costs.

Mr Campion said the decision was in line with his approach to only provide capital investment for networks West Mercia did not own or operate.

Mike Truelove, the chief executive of Hereford's BID group, had warned the loss of CCTV monitoring would have been "unfathomable"

Amid the shift, the county council told BBC Hereford and Worcester it would meet the funding shortfall for the next year. It already pays about two-thirds of the CCTV running costs.

"We've taken the view we can't have a city without CCTV," said Carole Gandy, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for adults, health and wellbeing.

"It is imperative to us that we keep the people coming into Hereford safe. So we will fund what is required for the rest of the financial year," she explained.

She added the council would consult partners to find a long-term funding solution, something campaigners said was needed.

Carole Gandy, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for adults, health and wellbeing, said it was a "no brainer" to fill a CCTV funding gap

"There has been heavy capital investment in CCTV over the last few years and we need to ensure that this does not go to waste," said Herefordshire Women's Equality Group in a statement.

The organisation said it had worked with police to identify areas in which members of the public had not felt safe, adding CCTV and improved lighting had been installed.

"When CCTV is monitored in real time it gives an opportunity to identify anyone who needs assistance," the group said.