Somerset’s Police and Crime Commissioner has said this week he is concerned that turning off CCTV cameras in Burnham-On-Sea and other parts of the county in order to save money would put people’s safety at risk.
It is one of the proposals unveiled by Somerset Council to stop the authority going effectively bankrupt.
Council Leader Bill Revans concedes that stopping the council’s CCTV service would make the county a less safe place to live.
“This is not something we would want to do,” he said on Monday, while pointing out that CCTV is a ‘discretionary service’ that councils don’t legally have to provide.
Mark Shelford, Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, says he shares the concerns of local businesses that this will “put their safety at risk.”
“So far I’m unaware of any formal consultation process with the police about the impact that switching off CCTV may have on crime prevention or from an operational perspective,” he added on Monday.
Mr Shelford said he is seeking assurance from Chief Constable Sarah Crew that she’s working with the council to provide information and evidence to ensure a decision is made based on value and not just cost.
The concerns come just months after Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge’s CCTV cameras were given a £21,000 upgrade by the council.
Cllr Revans says the overall financial cuts are “heartbreaking”, but necessary to save £100m. Other measures could include raising council tax by 10 per cent, closing recycling centres, selling assets and raising parking charges, as we reported here.
Details set to be considered on 15th January show Somerset Council, which declared a financial emergency last year, is facing cost pressures of £108.5 million in 2024-25, an annual increase of 20 per cent.
Under the proposals, Somerset Council will also ask the government to be allowed to raise council tax by 10 per cent.
The local authority needs special permission to do this, as it is twice the maximum rise usually allowed. On an average, Band D, property council tax would rise by £163.80 a year. This amount excludes projected rises for fire, police and any imposed by town or parish councils.
Under the proposals, five of the county’s recycling centres could shut although it’s not yet benn announced whether Highbridge’s facilities on the Isleport Business Park will be affected.
Funding for highways maintenance for things like pothole repairs and verges could be squeezed and money for council owned public toilets stopped entirely. Subsidies for bus services will be reviewed.
Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge Town Council will consider later this month whether they will take on some of the facilities.
Somerset Council says it hopes that in all the areas where they decide to make cuts to discretionary services, other bodies, like parish or town councils, will step in to help run them instead.
To balance the books, the council also plans to spend almost £37m from its reserves. It also plans to ask the government if it can borrow money, or sell assets, to fund day-to-day running costs.
A public consultation is taking place ahead of the final council budget meeting on 20th February.
