Largs & Millport Weekly News | News | CCTV Controversy

Tuesday, 14th October, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 11th June, 2008 12:00

CCTV Controversy - Why is Largs last in line?

By Calum Corral

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Members of the public have branded it a ‘nonsense’ that North Ayrshire Council has no funds for CCTV in Largs, yet the town provides huge amounts of money towards council tax.

Largs Community Council chairman Ian Murdoch spoke out at a recent North Coast committee council meeting in which Mr Ian Mackay, secretary for North Ayrshire CCTV Limited, told the audience that there was no money for security cameras in the town.

Mr Mackay, who is also the Assistant Chief Executive of North Ayrshire Council, said that funding for 2008-09 came from North Ayrshire Council (£100,000), Community Planning (£65,000) and Strathclyde Police (£32,500), but all these financial resources go to the maintenance and running of 31 cameras in North Ayrshire, based in the Three Towns, Irvine, and one in the Garnock Valley.

Mr Mackay, who stressed that he was attending on his position as secretary of the CCTV group and not as a representative of North Ayrshire Council, said: “North Ayrshire CCTV does not have £120,000 (necessary for Largs). We have no budget beyond the status quo. The current budget goes to on the on-going maintenance of the 31 cameras in North Ayrshire.”

However, there were audible gasps of ‘nonsense’ from the public gallery within Moorburn Chambers during the council meeting that there was no money for CCTV in Largs.

For full story and comments, read this week's Largs and Millport Weekly News.