Issue - meetings

CCTV - Change of Supplier

Meeting: 14/07/2020 - Cabinet (Item 25)

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Sinclair)

Report of Director of Communities & the Environment

Minutes:

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Sinclair)

Cabinet received a report from the Director of Communities and the Environment which set out the business case to modify the Public Space and White Lund Depot CCTV model from a 4G cellular network to Wi-Fi with an aim of reducing operating costs and generating financial efficiencies from 21/22 onwards. The report provided Cabinet with detailed information on the financial, governance and operational aspects of operating CCTV and included recommendations to merge all corporate CCTV onto a single cloud-based platform.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

Option 1: Transfer CCTV onto a Wi-Fi network

Advantages:

 Significantly reduces ongoing revenue costs

 Provides flexibility to add additional cameras to the network at a reduced cost

 Provides the ability to offer public access to Wi-Fi at various points

 Option to increase image quality due to higher available bandwidth

 Single cloud-based platform improves corporate compliance

Disadvantages:

 One off £58,700 required from reserves to fund infrastructure and camera modifications.

Risks:

 Timescales. Work is expected to take more than six weeks

 Considering the above, a monthly rolling 4G contract may be required until instillation is complete

Option 2: Retain CCTV on 4G cellular network

Advantages:

 Limited changes required.

Disadvantages:

 Significantly higher revenue costs

Risks:

 Additional resource requirements to focus on compliancy improvements across council venues using various systems

The officer preferred option was Option 1. Wi-Fi networks provide the council with an opportunity to reduce the operating costs of the public space and White Lund Depot CCTV systems and have the added benefit of offering the public with access to the network at key points. The project will consider the future use of council assets and build in appropriate measures if offices are repurposed, sold, or leased. Options for relocating the point to point antennas and break out points will be developed. Additionally, it will be important to ensure that all P2P antennas are located on city council property, with the necessary permission and planning consent where appropriate. The use of a 4G network is still advantageous where cameras need to be regularly moved and deployed i.e. environmental enforcement, fly tipping applications. These specialised applications can be delivered within existing budgets.

Councillor Sinclair proposed, seconded by Councillor Reynolds:-

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

Councillors then voted:-

Resolved unanimously:

(1) That Cabinet agree to the council wide CCTV model outlined in the report to reduce operating costs and generate financial efficiencies from 2021/22 onwards.

(2) That officers are delegated to commence on the preparation and implementation of such a system, in line with the costs contained within the report.

(3) That £58,700 be allocated from the invest to save reserve in the current year, to be repaid from ongoing revenue savings in 2021/22.

(4) That the general fund and housing revenue account be updated to include the new financial model regarding CCTV as part of the forthcoming 2021/22 budget ... view the full minutes text for item 25