Agenda item

To consider a report by the Head of Planning and Public Protection (copy enclosed) updating members on the CCTV Partnership and seeking support for its retention.

9.40 a.m. – 10.10 a.m.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets introduced the report and confidential appendix (previously circulated) and briefed the Committee on the background to the Council’s decision to withdraw from delivering its own CCTV service and transferring the service’s delivery to the Denbighshire CCTV Partnership.

Councillor Thompson-Hill confirmed that –

·         although the full-time CCTV Co-ordinator was employed by the Council, the post was funded by the Partnership

·         despite the fact that the footage was no longer monitored 24 hours a day there had not been a demonstrable increase in incidents of crime and disorder

·         whilst the CCTV Partnership Board, which oversaw the Partnership’s work in delivering the CCTV service, was satisfied with the service delivered it acknowledged that the arrangements for the delivery of the current service were not sustainable in the long run due to the age of the ICT server and camera maintenance requirements

·         the Board had examined a number of potential delivery models for the service.  Following careful consideration the Board had opted to start work with Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWCC) for them to take responsibility for the day to day management of the service in future.

Responding to members’ questions the Lead Member, Head of Planning and Public Protection, and the Public Protection Manager –

·         outlined the cost of the CCTV Service when the Council operated it and the decision taken as part of the Freedoms and Flexibilities budget exercise to withdraw from providing it as it was a non-statutory service. Nevertheless the Council acknowledged the service’s importance and therefore agreed to work with all partners who were willing to work together to deliver a CCTV service

·         advised that whilst Denbighshire County Council corporately no longer contributed towards the cost of the CCTV Service certain services within the Council did contribute a financial amount, i.e. Parking Services, Planning and Public Protection

·         confirmed that the CCTV Partnership delivered a static public space CCTV camera service to the towns of Prestatyn, Rhuddlan and Rhyl.  Other county towns had their own private arrangements for their CCTV services

·         advised that the Police had mobile CCTV which were deployed in known crime and disorder hotspots.  The Council also had a mobile camera which could record images, but did not beam the picture into a control room

·         explained the proposed formula for each of the three towns (contained in the confidential appendix) for the provision of a CCTV Service from the Partnership which included a guaranteed minimum number of cameras for each of the towns.  The report also detailed the proposed maintenance agreement for the cameras already in situ and the approach that would be taken when any camera failed or came to the end of its serviceable life

·         emphasised that under the new agreement there would be a guarantee on the minimum number of cameras in operation in each town at any time, although the number of cameras actually active in Prestatyn and Rhyl would be considerably higher than the guaranteed minimum.  The amount contributed by each town council would guarantee the minimum amount of operational cameras

·         that North Wales Police contributed £16k to all county area CCTV services across the region

·         confirmed that the CCTV Partnership Board considered five potential operators for the service’s delivery, including other local authorities in North Wales.  Nevertheless, having evaluated the bids and visited all operators’ control rooms to assess the type of service that could be delivered it became apparent that the service which CWCC could offer in the long-run was far superior.  They already worked closely with North Wales Police and could provide the Partnership with a 24 hour, 7 day a week, reactive monitoring service, which was more than the Partnership itself delivered at present

·         advised that the maintenance contract currently in place with a company to service and repair the cameras would continue.  If and when a camera was deemed to have come to the end of its serviceable life a decision would be taken, based on a risk assessment, whether to replace the camera with one from a low risk area

·         confirmed that North Wales Police and individual Council services had all committed to contribute the set amounts towards the service for the length of the contract period.  The three town councils were also being asked to give the same commitment, as this would safeguard the future of the service for the contract period with CWCC.  Once all parties had agreed a Service Level Agreement (SLA) would be drawn up which would commit all partners to financially contribute to the Service for a specified period time

·         advised that the possibility of leasing public space CCTV cameras was not an option.  Enquiries had been made in relation to this but camera manufacturing companies had advised that leasing was not the best option

·         confirmed that once the service with CWCC had been established enquiries would be made with other city, town and community councils in the county on whether they would be interested in joining and contributing towards the Partnership’s work.  The feasibility of allowing individual businesses to contribute towards the system could also be explored.

Councillor Arwel Roberts, in his capacity as a Rhuddlan Town Councillor and a member of the CCTV Partnership Board, confirmed that he had been part of the evaluation process for the proposed new service.  He was wholeheartedly supportive of the long term approach for the Service’s delivery and felt that the CWCC option would safeguard the service for the future.

Whilst the CCTV Partnership Board had agreed in principle to entering into an agreement with CWCC no actual start date for the contract had yet been agreed.  It was anticipated that the new service would commence before the end of the current calendar year.  The Committee therefore –

RESOLVED that subject to the above observations –

(a)       to support the Council’s role within the Partnership;

(b)       to continue to support retention of the Partnership, and

(c)        that a further report be presented to the Committee in twelve months’ time detailing the progress made with the establishment of the new arrangements between the Denbighshire CCTV Partnership and Cheshire West and Chester Council, its effectiveness in delivering a CCTV Service for the north Denbighshire area and outlining any potential options available for extending the service to other areas of the county.