OWNERSHIP of the CCTV cameras in Ely and Soham is to be transferred from East Cambridgeshire District Council to the City of Ely Council as the authority begins a fresh round of savings.

Under the current arrangement, the district council owns 35 cameras across Ely and Soham and pays an annual contribution of £36,415 to help maintain them and fund the control room from where they are monitored at Ely Police Station.

On Tuesday, however, the district council voted to transfer ownership of all the cameras to the city council as of January 2014, brining a saving of £36,415 annually.

The district council will have to provide a one-off payment of £56,000, however, so that the cameras can be converted from fibre-optic to an updated wireless system, making them more affordable for the city council and Soham Town Council, which is a member of the CCTV partnership, in the future.

Allison Conder, community services officer at the district council, said: “Following this contribution, the city council will provide no further funding towards CCTV operation, maintenance or equipment in relation to the transferred cameras. This will mean a saving £36,415 per year will be achieved.”

The district council is currently trying to find £1million worth of new savings in order to balance its budget for 2015.