LEDBURY Town Council will fund Ledbury's CCTV cameras to the tune of over £7,500 per annum for the next two years, despite concerns over "value for money".

This is because while the town centre's five cameras are recording 24 hours a day, they are not being monitored all the time.

Last May, following a request for information from the Ledbury Reporter, the owners of the cameras, Herefordshire Council, revealed that there was a 55 hour "monitoring gap" each week.

The cameras were only being monitored 113 hours per week, out of a possible total of 168 hours.

The issue was discussed again at last week's meeting of the town's finance and general purposes committee.

Cllr Tony Bradford said: "In all fairness to Herefordshire Council, they have spent a fortune bringing the CCTV cameras up to par."

The cameras used to be owned by the town council, until they were transferred over to Herefordshire Council, free of charge, several years ago. But they have been updated since then.

Cllr Bradford added: "The system is now High Definition, as we know."

Cllr Martin Eager said: "We have never doubted the quality but the level of the monitoring.

"Are we getting value for money?"

The town council has been asked to sign a so-called "Service Level Agreement" for the operation of the cameras, to be in force until the end of March, 2017, at least.

Deputy mayor, Cllr Rob Yeoman, was asked to provide an critique of the lengthy agreement, and he was concerned that "the hours of monitoring are not specified".

This information, however, has since been supplied by Herefordshire Council and, speaking at last week's meeting, Cllr Yeoman said of the Service Level Agreement, "We have got to the point where this is as good as we are going to get, and we shall have to go with it."

Cllr Clive Jupp, however, was the one councillor at the meeting who did not vote in favour of signing.

He said: "I object to signing it, full stop, in principle.

"We the town council transferred ownership of those cameras for no charge, and within a year we were being asked for a contribution and we've been asked ever since."

Herefordshire Council is responsible for five CCTV cameras covering the High Street; the Market House area; the top of the High Street and the Worcester Road; the Walled Garden and Church Lane.

The total annual running cost this financial year was £20,901, towards which the town council paid £7,480.

The contribution will increase next financial year, and the next, "in line with inflation".