A TOWN council has been accused of ‘sleeping at the wheel’ after withdrawing financial support for CCTV.

At a meeting this week, Pickering Town Council said that after reviewing information shared by Ryedale Cameras in Action it had resolved that it would not make a contribution towards the system.

A statement said: “Pickering Town Council has not funded the CCTV system in the town since 2012, however, it has made some contributions towards the operation of the CCTV system through its grants scheme.

“In December 2022 the town council was approached by Ryedale Cameras in Action with a request to contribute towards the funding of the CCTV system in the town centre in 2023/24. Having considered this and reviewed information shared by Ryedale Cameras in Action about how often the police have accessed and used CCTV images in Pickering the council resolved that it would not make a financial contribution towards the system.”

However, Philip and Jill Hall, owners of The Black Swan Hotel in Pickering told the Gazette and Herald of their frustration in trying to develop a tourist-led business in a town where the council have little or no understanding of what is important to visitors, let alone the residents.

Ryedale Cameras In Action reintroduced CCTV to Malton, Norton and Pickering in 2017 with the support of Malton and Norton Town Council, Ryedale District Council (RDC) and North Yorkshire County Council. Businesses in Pickering contributed to the installation cost.

Philip said: “We were keen supporters of the reintroduction of CCTV to the town and were one of the contributors to the installation costs. Our guests frequently complained about the anti-social behaviour on Birdgate and we were aware of this happening in other parts of the town.

“It was unfortunate this tarnished the reputation of the town amongst visitors and left residents nervous when venturing out at night.

“We were pleased to support the introduction of CCTV, not least for the benefit of our guests but to afford Pickering Town Council time to understand the improvements the new system offered over the old.

“I know that it has been a struggle for Ryedale Cameras In Action to protect the future of the Pickering system during the pandemic, but they have and the town should be aware of their support. Our business has been able to offer some financial support, but we, like other businesses in the town, are still struggling with the economic damage Covid inflicted and whilst we can offer some support, we are not able to cover the full cost. Without the support of RDC via a community grant, Pickering would have lost its CCTV last year. We were optimistic that PTC would at least canvas opinion from the community they represent before gambling with the safety of residents and the economic prospect of the town. It does seem disingenuous that a group of councillors who have no business interests in the town, who are unaffected by anti-social behaviour, feel able to judge the benefit of a system which has the primary objective of deterring crime, based purely on the evidence that there has been little crime whilst the system has been operational.

“We were hopeful that the town would see the return of events, particularly those that offered something for the whole community. Past events have been hugely important to traders in the town, this now should be considered no more than a pipe dream without CCTV coverage. This is a very sad day for the future of Pickering.”

A spokesperson for Ryedale Cameras In Action, said: “It is very disappointing that Pickering Town Council have decided again this year not to support the Pickering CCTV cameras. Over the last five years the Pickering cameras have been funded by Ryedale Cameras In Action and external grant aid. The cameras in Malton and Norton are funded fully by both Malton and Norton Town Councils. Unless funding is found the cameras will be removed after 1st April this year.”

Anyone who would like to show their support can do so at www.pickeringcctv.org.uk