Letter to the Home Secretary and the Minister for Security & Borders

Intervention Request on Virgin Media and BT/Openreach Pricing Policies Impacting Public Space CCTV Fibre Circuits

Yesterday, the CCTV User Group have taken a crucial step in advocating for the sustainability and effectiveness of public space CCTV operations across the UK.

We have formally reached out to the UK Home Secretary, Minister of State for Security & Borders, Ofcom and the BSCC to address the alarming pricing policies of some fibre circuit service providers. Their current policies, which include refusal to renew contracts and significant cost increases, are placing unsustainable financial burdens on local government CCTV services. This situation threatens to reduce CCTV coverage, thereby compromising public safety.

Below, a quote from the letter to the Home Secretary and Minister of State for Security & Borders

"I am writing to you on behalf of the CCTV User Group, which represents a significant number of local government CCTV Control Centres across the UK. Our members are deeply concerned about recent developments regarding the pricing policies of Virgin Media and BT/Openreach, which are posing substantial challenges to the sustainability and effectiveness of public space CCTV operations."

Public space CCTV is vital for enhancing safety, aiding in incident detection, providing situational awareness, supporting emergency responses, and contributing significantly to counter-terrorism efforts.

The letter goes on to say;

"This sudden increase in service costs is placing an unsustainable financial burden on local government CCTV services, many of which operate on limited budgets. The implications of these increased costs are severe, potentially leading to a reduction in CCTV coverage and compromising public safety."

We are urgently seeking intervention to ensure these companies reconsider their pricing strategies and continue to support the essential role of CCTV services in safeguarding our communities.

A big thank you to all our members for their continued dedication and support. We remain committed to advocating for fair practices and the protection of public safety infrastructure.

The full, 7-page letter is available to our members on our website Members downloads area.