Outdated CCTV to be replaced in Eastleigh as plans approved

Cabinet members at Eastleigh Borough Council approved proposals for a new CCTV network across the borough which could see moveable cameras implemented.

As part of the scheme, the existing 51 cameras could be completely removed and replaced with 15 new ones in what is expected to save the council £29,000.

It is hoped that the £50,000 bill for replacing the tech will be paid by the police and crime commissioner.

It comes after an eight-week consultation where 1,158 responses were received, 86 per cent of which said the existing CCTV should be replaced.

READ MORE: CCTV cameras in Eastleigh set to be cut from 51 to 15

But some people raised concerns over women’s safety - with one respondent saying the move would be “extremely detrimental”.

Speaking at the meeting at the council offices on Thursday night, council leader Keith House said: “We know the existing kit we’ve got is well past its use-by date.

“The report recommends a way forward in terms of a bid to the Police and Crime Commissioner on the basis that if we’re prepared to pay off revenue costs for maintaining the kit then it’s not unreasonable for the commissioner to fund the new capital equipment.

“Kit that can actually move as well so you can tag hotspots far more regularly than it has in the past and actually be far more useful to the police in terms of prosecutions as opposed to fuzzy images.”

The council leader added that any changes could take months, suggesting it could be as late as July until the changes are complete.

Cllr Keith House

The cabinet was also told that a control room will be maintained throughout to monitor car parks and other corporate sites in the borough.

The annual running cost of the existing cameras is £300,000 and it is expected to cost £27,000 to take them down.

Cllr House added that the plan “doesn’t mean that every bit of public realm that is currently covered by fuzzy CCTV will be covered in future or indeed that some places that are not covered now won’t be covered in future.

“That’s part of the question mark still to be resolved.”

Councillors also approved £206,000 funds from borrowing to upgrade the pay-on-foot parking systems at The Swan Centre and Mitchell Road multi-storey car park – both of which need to be monitored on a 24-hour basis.

Regeneration boss Cllr Paul Bicknell added: “With modern technology, those cameras can be moved.

“If you put a camera in one place for long enough then hardly anything happens there.

“You want to be able to be flexible and right-footed and move it to other areas and new technology will enable that.”