THE BILL for the upkeep of Ryedale's security cameras could be left with the district council if public contributions fail to meet financial demands.

Councillors have expressed concern over the future of CCTV cameras in Malton, Norton and Pickering after it was announced that around £20,000 a year is needed to keep the scheme running.

Councillor Elizabeth Shields said she thought Ryedale District Council would foot the bill, although she hoped people would contribute something, no matter how small.

"The council may face the choice of saying 'either you pay up or we shut the cameras down'. I hope not, but that's a possibility," she said.

However a spokesman from the council said there had been no provision in the budget estimates for 1998-99 for the running of CCTV.

"Obviously the council contributed a large sum towards the capital costs, thinking the upkeep would then be the responsibility of the community. If sufficient funds are not being raised - which at the moment looks to be the case - then we will have to re-look at the budget and address the problem."

Since the cameras were installed in September, town centre crime has reduced by 42 per cent.

Chairman of Ryedale Cameras in Action (RCIA) Geoffrey Rennie said: "An appeal has gone out through the parish councils to the public and local business. We've already received confirmation from Norton town council that they will be contributing £1,000.

"But at the moment it's very difficult to evaluate the money situation because the cameras have not been running a year."

Chief Executive of Ryedale District Council, Harold Mosley, said: "The prospect of the cameras being turned off is a very remote one."

He added the council's policy was still to rely on subscriptions from the people who benefit most to cover the running costs of CCTV.

But he added if the costs were not being covered, and given that shutting the system down was very unlikely, the council needed to recognise "that the system is ours".

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