Councillors have demanded full transparency over how hundreds of mothballed number plate recognition cameras installed under the Clean Air Zone plans will be used in future.
Leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition group in Oldham, councillor Howard Sykes, said there should be a public consultation on their purpose, as well as scrutiny from elected members of all parties. “The future usage of these cameras must not be decided in a back room somewhere,” he told members at a full council meeting.
More than 400 ANPR cameras were erected ahead of the planned implementation of the charging zone in May last year, which was then delayed and the future of which is still uncertain.
READ MORE: Forensics comb Manchester street as murder probe ramps up after Zikel Bobmanuel shot dead
The project, known as ‘CAZ’ would have seen some of the most polluting vehicles on the city-region’s roads charged daily to travel to tackle illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide.
Police can access information and images from the cameras which has already provided evidence in five murder cases, six gun incidents, two stabbings, four fatal crashes amongst others. However currently officers need to request permission from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to get hold of the information, which GMP says adds a level of bureaucracy to investigations.
“One thing that should concern us in Oldham is the use of the cameras that have been put up across our borough and elsewhere in the conurbation for the enforcement of the original clean air zone,” Coun Sykes said.
“These cameras are no longer needed for their original purpose. So, what will they be used for? Are they going to be turned over to Greater Manchester Police? Is there going to be any public consultation on their use?
“We already have more CCTV cameras per head of population than any other democratic country in the world. And Greater Manchester is the second city after London by number of cameras in the UK.
“Is all of this going to help GMP catch criminals? I’m not so sure with only 96 pc of burglars going uncharged in 2022.”
He asked the council leader Amanda Chadderton to make clear her position on the future use of the cameras, and on whether a consultation should be carried out. The Labour leader said that upon taking office in May 2022 she was ‘quite clear’ with the Combined Authority that as the leader of Oldham she ‘wouldn’t accept a charging zone’.
“I want the signs coming down as quickly as possible, to be honest, and they shouldn’t be there,” she added. “We have to wait for the government to do that, it’s the same with the cameras as well.
“What I do think we need to demonstrate to the public though, which I feel the public feel has been missing, is the transparency around this system, and that does include those cameras.
"And, if we’re keeping those cameras up, what are they for? Is it for GMP, is it for ANPR or is it for other uses?
“Councillor Sykes is right given the amount of CCTV in this country I know some people feel uncomfortable with that. But whatever decision is taken I do commit that the Combined Authority has to be transparent and I will be transparent as leader about what comes down through conversations with GMP.
“I will ensure the public are aware of that and if they are staying up, what they are going to be for.”
Clean Air Greater Manchester has previously said a ‘full public consultation’ would be needed for any such move to a permanent police use and suggested it may have to wait until after the cameras are no longer needed for CAZ purposes which could be in several years’ time.
The GMCA said that under ‘an investment-led, non-charging Greater Manchester cap’, the ANPR cameras installed for the formerly planned Clean Air Zone could instead be used to help identify vehicles that could be upgraded.
The authority said that to support the development of the new plan, Greater Manchester has been using the already installed cameras to ‘better understand the current vehicle fleet on the city-region’s roads and their emissions’.
‘Greater Manchester wants to work with government to consider whether they could be used for potential law enforcement activity related to the detection of crime’, the combined authority has stated, adding there would be a full public consultation on any such measures.
A Clean Air Greater Manchester spokesperson said: “Greater Manchester leaders submitted the case for an investment-led, non-charging Clean Air Plan back in July 2022, to meet a deadline set by the Environment Secretary.
“Since then, Greater Manchester has waited for government feedback, whilst continuing to develop the supporting policy, including targeted engagement with key stakeholder groups.
“Greater Manchester is still waiting for a detailed response on the Case for a New Clean Air Plan. On 26 January, Rebecca Pow, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience), wrote to ask Greater Manchester to provide additional evidence that will enable further consideration of the case for a new investment-led, non-charging Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan.
“Greater Manchester leaders have provided the first of the evidence requested, and have set out that the next submission of evidence will be at the end June 2023.”
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
- Two men suffer serious injuries in 'double stabbing' outside petrol station
- Gran died at hospital she worked at weeks after being told she had collapsed lung and stage four cancer
- Tributes paid to 'beautiful soul' at centre of shooting murder probe
- DWP confirms £301 cost of living payment date with millions to be paid in weeks
- 'Absolute stocked the **** up...got beltin' deals on': Phone messages that brought down a drugs empire
