Croydon council losing money as traffic cameras still not switched on
By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter
Brand new traffic cameras in an area have still not been switched on, meaning the council is missing out on making money from fines.
But the authority will not reveal just how much it has lost, blaming “commercial sensitivity”.
Croydon council uses number of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to try and prevent rat running in parts of the borough, it calls these schemes Croydon Healthy Neighbourhoods.
But the council is in a battle with the contractor in charge of installing these cameras meaning some are still not working more than three months after they were supposed to be turned on.
The latest figures from Croydon council shows the council was forecasting a ÂŁ15million overspend in the department at month 11 of the previous financial year – February-March 2022.
As well as not bringing in traffic fines, the council has blamed this on parking levels not returning to the level they were before Covid.
A council report said: “Parking Services continue to have delays in connection with the roll out of new ANPR cameras which affect the income levels within the service.
“A new ANPR camera contract was procured in 2021 however the council has faced significant problems with functionality and are urgently seeking firm assurance from the new contractor that they remain in a position to fulfil their contractual obligations.”
At a meeting of the scrutiny and overview committee on Monday night, cabinet member for finance, Jason Cummings, said this delay will affect the council’s budget this financial year.
Nick Hibberd, director of sustainable communities, regeneration and economic recovery, added: “There have been delays with both the roll out and the connection and the functionality of the new cameras. We are in the middle of negotiations with the contractor with a view to sorting that so until that is completed we don’t have a timeline at this point.”
He said the council would be trying to “recover the losses” from the company itself but would not reveal exactly how much money the council has lost, claiming it was commercially sensitive information.
(Picture: Dave Dugdale/Flickr)
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