Tarporley Parish Council decided not to help fund CCTV in the village

Oct 14 2010 by Naomi Dunning, Chester Chronicle

VILLAGE parish councillors rejected a request by a Tarporley pub to help them fund CCTV cameras for the community.

Representatives from The Swan Hotel, on High Street in Tarporley told the parish council they would like to set up two CCTV cameras which would have the capability of not only watching over the entrance of the hotel but also further down the street. The hotel asked the council for £200 to help set up the camera.

PCSO Emily Benson added that she and PC Ged Gigg supported the idea.

During the meeting Cllr Patrick Walkden-Barr said: “It will be like George Orwell’s 1984. We will have no privacy left, we live in a surveillance society, and we mustn’t let this happen in Tarporley.

“Anyone could end up watching those tapes.”

Cllr Tim Hill added: “It is not good for a community like Tarporley to have cameras everywhere.”

Parish council chairman Gill Clough said: “I am not too worried about CCTV but I just don’t think it is necessary.”

Councillors voted to object to helping fund the CCTV, they also said they would urge The Swan Hotel to talk to the community and find out whether it is wanted in the village.