Bradford Council’s Executive is to consider proposals to invest £100,000 in CCTV in Ilkley town centre.
The Ilkley CCTV scheme includes ten high-definition CCTV cameras located within the town centre providing good coverage of the key streets and venues.
The council believes the investment will help bring a reduction in crime, improve evidence for prosecuting offenders and provide assurance to visitors and residents.
The new network could also assist the council in managing events, traffic and emergencies.
In recent years Ilkley has held a number of high profile events including the Tour de France and Tour de Yorkshire.
These events and others such as Real Food Ilkley, Ilkley Carnival, and Christmas light switch on have led to significant increases in the numbers of visitors to the town.
The new CCTV cameras will assist the council to manage the demands driven by higher footfalls.
Bradford Council’s Executive next meets 2 February.
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “We believe this important investment in community safety in Ilkley will bring significant benefits to local people and make the town even more attractive to visit especially in the evening.”
Commenting on the proposal, District Councillor Kyle Green (Con, Ilkley) stated, "While I welcome the belated realisation by this Labour-run Council that we need CCTV to catch those breaking the law and help prevent anti social behaviour in Ilkley, Bradford Council have once again failed to be proactive in helping to keep Ilkley and Ben Rhydding residents safe and I will be attending the upcoming executive to highlight the need to invest far more in this scheme to cover a wider area.
While the town centre clearly will benefit from these cameras, these plans fail to bring necessary and urgent cameras to either the riverside area of Ilkley, Ilkley Moor or Ben Rhydding where residents should also see investment to reduce crime rather than more Bradford-centric investment despite the high rates of council tax paid by Ilkley and Ben Rhydding residents. I welcome comments from residents as to where they feel CCTV would be beneficial and they can contact me at kyle.green@bradford.gov.uk"