CCTV could be scrapped in Barnet as part of £70m cuts

Barnet Council has revealed plans to cut more than £70million from its budget by 2020, including the prospect of scrapping all of its CCTV cameras.

Campaigners gathered outside Hendon Town Hall on Tuesday night to protest against the cuts ahead of the council’s policy and resources committee, which discussed the plans and referred them to full council to consider on December 16.

The council faces a £73.5m budget deficit by 2020 and published details of how it plans to meet £50m of the deficit ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.

This includes savings in adult social care through a reduction in home and residential care and a move towards “supporting people in the community”.

There are plans to cut £2.85m from the borough’s libraries service, as well as increasing council tax and business rates, while also increasing resident fees and charges by two per cent above inflation between 2016 and 2020.

The council also plans to cut street cleaning and is exploring the possibility of scrapping its CCTV service if alternative funding cannot be found.

Barnet Council leader Cllr Richard Cornelius said: “We have already made some difficult decisions early. However the coming savings will not be easy to make.”