TEN to 12 CCTV cameras could be installed around Ilkley to tackle anti-social and criminal behaviour for a cost of around £50,000 to £60,000.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth (Ind, Ilkley) who was the first to call for CCTV following vandal attacks in the town's main car park, attended a full meeting of Bradford Council this week and called for the cost to be met by the council's community budgets.

She told the full council meeting: "You could ask what is CCTV to do with community budgets. My answer would be there is nothing as important to a community as safety.

"Many in this chamber will not be aware that a centre as large as Ilkley does not have these security devices. For years we have been told that they would be far too expensive and difficult to install because of the distance from the source in Bradford. Now apparently technology has improved - microwaves can be used to transmit.

"I hope for support for this but I do not hold my breath. However, of one thing I am convinced, this will not be the last time you hear of the need for CCTV in Ilkley."

Proposed locations for the CCTV cameras include in the town's central car park, several along Leeds Road, Brook Street,The Grove, the bottom of Wells Promenade, Bolton Bridge Road, Station Road near Tesco and the Riverside Park.

The cost of the cameras including installation is likely to be around £4,500 per unit, depending on location. It is thought a capital cost of £50K would result in a very viable scheme.

Additionally there would need to be Service Level Agreement in place to meet the annual costs of cleaning, maintenance and energy. Councillors have been told these costs can not be met thought existing budgets available to the Bradford Council CCTV unit. It has been suggested to councillors a petition should be launched in the town to add more credibility to the call for CCTV cameras.

An initial online survey by Ilkley's early intervention and prevention officer PC Sam Hollings found 86 per cent of those who responded favoured the installation of CCTV.

Councillor Martin Smith (Con, Ilkley) said: "Do we need CCTV in Ilkley? It appears the police think we do, based on four per cent of the 13,000 population saying on a web page and that is based on four scratched cars in the central car park and the occasional boozy central town disturbances.

"We need a better percentage of the 13,000 of the population than the four per cent (564) that replied to the police survey on the web to ensure there is a firm consensus for the need or not and I call on the parish council to run a resident survey to establish the town's views before we even consider who funds the costs. Bradford, Police or Parish precept.

"We need a simple yes or no question.

"Apparently the installation and setting up costs would be around £50-60K for 12 cameras around the centre of town and an annual maintenance cost of around £1.5K."