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Agenda item

Approval For Upgrading Public Space CCTV Provision and New Monitoring Arrangements

Purpose:

This report recommends upgrading the public open space CCTV cameras covering areas of Carterton and Witney to high definition digital, together with the installation of five new cameras in Chipping Norton.  It further recommends the Council joins the Thames Valley CCTV partnership, with an associated transfer of CCTV assets and operational responsibility to Thames Valley Police under a ‘single owner’ model; and moving monitoring arrangements to a shared Oxfordshire hub.

 

Recommendations:

That the Executive resolves to:

1.    Endorse the continued need for public open space CCTV in Carterton and Witney and approve extending the scheme to Chipping Norton;

2.    Approve use of the £255,635 in the draft capital programme Council resolved to approve in February 2024 for upgrading CCTV;

3.    Note the potential funding shortfall of up to a further £55,000 and the opportunities for meeting this cost;

4.    Approve joining the Thames Valley CCTV Partnership, with an associated transfer of all CCTV assets and ongoing operational responsibility to Thames Valley Police under a ‘single owner’ model; and a shared Oxfordshire hub, based in Abingdon, as the new monitoring control room;

5.    Delegate authority to the Interim Head of Legal Services, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to the execute the formal agreements needed to join the Thames Valley Police CCTV Partnership;

6.      Approve the funding formula for the Thames Valley CCTV Partnership and delegate authority to the Assistant Director – Communities, in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Executive Member for Housing and Social Welfare, to agree a new funding formula with Carterton, Chipping Norton and Witney town councils, and Marriott’s Walk and Woolgate shopping centres.

Minutes:

Councillor Geoff Saul, Executive Member for Housing and Social Welfare, introduced the report, which recommended upgrading the public open space CCTV cameras covering areas of Carterton and Witney to high definition digital, together with the installation of five new cameras in Chipping Norton.

 

The report further recommended that the Council joined the Thames Valley CCTV partnership, with an associated transfer of CCTV assets and operational responsibility to Thames Valley Police under a ‘single owner’ model; and move monitoring arrangements to a shared Oxfordshire hub.

 

The Executive Member stated that the Executive had received a recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, requesting that the priority order of the steps that would be taken to address the funding shortfall of up to £55,000 (paragraph 4.7 of the agenda report) were adjusted so that steps c) and d) were moved up to become the new a) and b). The Executive Member stated that the Executive agreed with the recommendation made by Overview and Scrutiny, and that the priority order would be adjusted to potential funding shortfall of up to £55,000.

 

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillors Michele Mead and David Melvin, attending as non-Executive Members, queried the timeline of financial contributions associated with Carterton Town Council, and sought clarification on whether Carterton would receive any additional cameras in addition to the 4 it already had, or if locations of cameras may change.

 

Andy Barge, Assistant Director for Communities, stated that the Council had worked closely with the Clerk of Carterton Town Council and that an agreement was in place to reduce the in-year contribution to £5,000, and advised of a possibility that either two or three cameras may be relocated around the town to provide better surveillance coverage. The Assistant Director also stated that requests for further cameras would require agreement from Thames Valley Police in an evidence-base approach, in line with the Police and Crime Commissioner’s code.

 

Councillor Geoff Saul proposed that the Executive agree to the recommendations as listed on the report. This was seconded by Councillor Andy Graham, was put to a vote, and was unanimously agreed by the Executive.

 

The Executive Resolved to:

  1. Endorse the continued need for public open space CCTV in Carterton and Witney and approve extending the scheme to Chipping Norton;
  2. Approve use of the £255,635 in the draft capital programme Council resolved to approve in February 2024 for upgrading CCTV;
  3. Note the potential funding shortfall of up to a further £55,000 and the opportunities for meeting this cost;
  4. Approve joining the Thames Valley CCTV Partnership, with an associated transfer of all CCTV assets and ongoing operational responsibility to Thames Valley Police under a ‘single owner’ model; and a shared Oxfordshire hub, based in Abingdon, as the new monitoring control room;
  5. Delegate authority to the Interim Head of Legal Services, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to execute the formal agreements needed to join the Thames Valley Police CCTV Partnership;
  6. Approve the funding formula for the Thames Valley CCTV Partnership and delegate authority to the Assistant Director – Communities, in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Executive Member for Housing and Social Welfare, to agree a new funding formula with Carterton, Chipping Norton and Witney town councils, and Marriott’s Walk and Woolgate shopping centres.

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