Wrexham councillors discuss north Wales CCTV plans

There are more than 92 cameras looking out over Wrexham

Plans to reduce the number of CCTV control rooms in town centres across north Wales are to be discussed by Wrexham councillors.

It follows moves to cut costs by centralising the monitoring of town centre CCTV cameras across the region.

Senior councillors from the region's six local authorities have proposed a cut from six to two control rooms.

Councillors are being asked to back this option, providing Wrexham has one of the centres.

A review of CCTV in north Wales, led by Conwy council, was commissioned in 2009 and was funded by a Welsh government loan of £805,000.

CCTV systems across north Wales need upgrading, the report says

The study explored establishing one regional monitoring operation for CCTV across north Wales, to replace the existing six stand-alone operations.

Council leaders say no decisions will be taken until any proposals have been fully considered and discussed by all the authorities involved.

There have been concerns from traders and owners of Wrexham nightspots that the town's CCTV control room could be moved out of the area.

Wrexham's customer, performance and resource scrutiny committee will discuss the report on Wednesday.

The report says 92 CCTV cameras operate across the county borough but the recording equipment "is effectively obsolete" and needs upgrading to a digital format with an estimated cost of £150,000.

Concerns over how to pay for this "are replicated across north Wales".