That:

a)    A new contract be procured through a competitive tender exercise in accordance with the contract procedure rules on a 3 plus 2 year basis and within a budget of £1.3m to supply staff to monitor the council’s CCTV cameras across the county, including security staff to work within the Maylord Orchard Centre; and

b)    Authority is delegated to the Corporate Director for Economy and Environment, following consultation with the Cabinet Member housing, regulatory services and community and the Section 151 Officer, to award the new contract and take all relevant operational decisions.

1.             Do nothing.  The council has an established CCTV service that covers Hereford City and the market towns of Ledbury, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye. This is not an option as the current staffing contract ceases on 31 August 2022.  Without proactive monitored public space CCTV for Herefordshire and Maylord Orchard Centre could risk an increase in undetected crime and anti-social behaviour.

2.             Use volunteers to carry out CCTV monitoring and security work.  This is not an option as whilst there is huge value in employing volunteers in the public sector, the monitoring of CCTV and security work is not seen as an area where volunteers should be used exclusively to provide a service, but instead should be used to complement existing paid contract staff.  The use of volunteers to run the service could put the service at operational risk as there is no compulsion for any volunteer to attend work and this would leave the CCTV and security service unstaffed.