Set back for CCTV in Memorial Fields

Steyning parish council applied for £850 from County Local Committee Community Initiative to go towards the £6,109 costs needed to install the close circuit television cameras on Memorial Playing Fields.

The council has previously said they would put £850 from its reserves towards the cost.

It has also applied for a grant of £4,874 from Horsham District Council’s 106 panel, which allocates property developers’ contributions to community facilities.

Sue Rogers, chairman of Steyning’s finances and community committee, said that the decision by the CLC ‘is particularly disappointing’.

The committee declined the application as it ‘considered that the parish council should use its precept and the application was therefore outside of the funding criteria’.

Discussing the decision Mrs Rogers said: “The parish council are working very hard to minimise the impact of many planned cuts by the county council from fighting to keep bus services and libraries open and are about to embark on work to see what we can do to retain something of the youth service.

“However, we only have a limited precept and this application was for an extremely important piece of equipment from which many people would have seen a benefit.

“I hope the parish council can find another way to meet the shortfall.”

The decision by the council to install the CCTV was to deter anti-social behaviour and help those living nearby feel safe in their home, which Mrs Rogers said was a ‘top priority’.