Cuts will mean much of Kirklees may soon not be covered by CCTV.

One councillor has described it as short-sighted, claiming Kirklees had failed to consider the implications.

Councillors, as part of the budget process, agreed to a “significant reduction” of CCTV and axed £246,000 from the budget in 2016.

Kirklees admits that in the last five years CCTV has been used in 21,437 incidents, leading to 4,315 arrests.

And just over 12 months ago Cabinet members agreed to put £150,000 towards upgrading its CCTV to a digital system.

Clr Martyn Bolt is unhappy about the cuts, saying: “This has come from a line in the budget but I don’t think the implications have been considered.

Mirfield residents expressed concern to me and asked whether CCTV was being looked at so I asked the question and was told it is currently, but won’t be in six months time.

“It costs £300,000 a year. I can’t get a breakdown for each areas, but that covers 11 staff and 150 cameras.

“CCTV logs nearly 6,000 incidents a year and leads to 900 arrests a year – it has significant benefits.

“I think we’ve overlooked the bigger picture here – it is important for tackling crime and terrorism. The bombers coming to Dewsbury to target the EDL were caught on CCTV and police were able to track the route the killers of Pc Sharon Beshenivsky took and gather evidence. It may not prevent crime but it helps to compile a case.

“It’s also used for traffic monitoring and can help traffic flow.

“It has far reaching implications and we’re about to lose it for a £300,000 net cost.”

He added: “Mirfield residents, to their credit, have asked if volunteers can get involved and I understand there are issues with data protection. But the majority of the cost will be staffing. Has Kirklees looked at any other options? Have they asked for a donation from the Police and Crime Commissioner?

A Kirklees Council spokeswoman said: “It was agreed at the full council meeting in February 2015 that there would be no budget available for CCTV after April 2016. This does not mean that the cameras will be switched off or the service withdrawn in six months’ time.

“It means that the council will continue to talk to the police and other partners to develop a new community safety function within Kirklees. Discussions are at an early stage but we are confident that any of our past or current investments in the systems is money well spent.”