KNUTSFORD Town Council has agreed to pay £40,000 towards the cost of operating town centre CCTV cameras for the next three years.

Since 2014 the council has contributed towards the cost of operating the town centre CCTV, seven cameras on columns in the town centre, not including those on the car parks.

This has been under a three-year funding agreement with Cheshire East Council.

Town clerk Adam Keppel-Green said in 2014 Cheshire East approached the town council to contribute towards the funding of CCTV, at a cost per camera, intending to remove the CCTV if the town council did not contribute.

Initially the town council rejected a request to fund the CCTV and it was scheduled for removal.

The clerk added: “Following a meeting with the then Knutsford Police Inspector, and the public having expressed concerns, the town council agreed to a three-year agreement on the basis the CCTV would be proactively monitored.

“In 2017 a major upgrade was undertaken of the cameras in Knutsford to improve the quality of data capture and usability.

“The new cameras had improved visibility in areas of poor lighting, and Cheshire East Council subsequently undertook a £100,000 upgrade to its control room systems.”

The annual cost of the three-year agreement is £13,366, an increase of £66 a year on the current agreement, and the budget for the agreement has been included with the draft town council budget for 2021/22.

Town councillors agreed on Monday to renew the three-year agreement on condition the cameras were actively monitored and overgrown trees obscuring cameras were cut back.