Safety comes before cash for councillors

The parish council members had the funds to buy a new CCTV system for the Jubilee Community Centre after they declined to collect their payments for performing their duties.

They decided at their latest meeting to spend just under 4,500 buying the colour cameras for the building off Chalcraft Lane.

The building contains the parish council's office as well as hosting a use of community uses for a wide range of age groups each week. Parish council clerk Michael Johnson said the centre's management committee had been keen to improve security there.

The system chosen has eight cameras. 'This ensures that all the centre will be covered and the approaches to it,' he told councillors. 'It also provides for a camera and a speaker phone at the door.'

'Because councillors decided not to take their allowances, we have sufficient leeway in the budget to pay for the CCTV system if you want to.' He explained the system would cost some 7,000 in all over four years if the council hired the cameras. Cllr Martin Lury said: 'We owe it to our staff to have the cameras. They are very exposed working here.'

Cllr Simon McDougall stated: 'It is very important to protect the building with more up to date equipment.'

The current security system is outdated and has little value other than scrap.

The 14 councillors are entitled to 400 each for every civic year under government rules for attending meetings and making decisions. But Bersted's members have never collected the money. This saved the council 5,600.

l Aldwick Parish Council members agreed to support the payment of the 400 allowance to those councillors who wish to collect it. The money will be paid in equal instalments in June and November.