Purpose

The report will set out the Council’s intention to relocate the Borough CCTV Control room from Strand House to Bernard Wetherill House.

The draft recommendation will be for the Executive Mayor to agree:

• The relocation of CCTV Control Room to Bernard Weatherill House.

Decision

For the reasons set out in this report and its supporting documents, the Executive Mayor AGREEDto : 

1. 1.1         Approve the relocation of the CCTV Control Room from Strand House to the ground floor of BWH and the necessary upgrades to associatedtechnical and physical infrastructure. 
2. 1.2         Approve expenditure of up to £1.846m funded from the Council’s Capital Programme to implement the project, including the decommission and / or migration of current equipment and the design and delivery of the new facility.
3. 1.3         Delegate authority to the Corporate Director and S.151 Officer to take the necessary steps to deliver the project.

Reasons for the decision

Relocation of the CCTV room will achieve two main objectives. Firstly, it will secure the modernisation of the Council’s CCTV platform in more suitable accommodation and secondly, enable the disposal of Strand House, which currently accommodates the facility.

Strand House was approved for disposal by Cabinet on 6th December 2023, supporting the Council's disposals programme and achievement of its MTFS strategy, through a capital receipt and reduced revenue operational costs.

The relocation of the CCTV control room provides an opportunity to modernise the Council’s current operating model and future proof its CCTV infrastructure to address evolving strategic, operational, and technological risks.

The relocation also presents further opportunities for service development, such as wider programmes, including housing CCTV expansion initiatives, which can only be commenced once the control room is relocated. Without intervention, the Council risks further deterioration of infrastructure, increasing operational costs, and reduced ability to respond to evolving technological and community safety demands.

The relocation also provides an opportunity to reinstate inactive CCTV sites, reconnect estate security cameras, and enable future expansion of CCTV coverage through wider housing and community safety programmes. This will improve consistency of coverage across the borough, enhance feelings of safety for the public, and strengthen the Council’s ability to support crime prevention, safeguarding and violence reduction activity.

Operationally, a unified platform will improve coordination between Council services, emergency planning teams and the Metropolitan Police, enabling faster information sharing, improved incident management, and stronger evidential outcomes.

The project also delivers wider corporate and financial benefits. Relocation unlocks the disposal of Strand House, enabling associated capital receipt and ongoing revenue savings, while supporting asset rationalisation. Consolidation of services within Bernard Weatherill House further improves utilisation of this retained operational asset and reduces reliance on costly legacy infrastructure and leased fibre arrangements.

The project requires fibre relocation of 100 circuits connecting CCTV Cameras. The circuits are provided by two suppliers. A new commercial agreement with the supplier providing 80 of these circuits will result in contract savings of c. £0.1.47m per annum. The remaining 20 circuits have been prepaid through Transport for London Grant scheme for 10 years up to 2033. The relocation costs for these 20 circuits are necessary for operational continuity and are accounted for in the project budget.

Furthermore, it is expected that there will be a significant reduction in maintenance costs and break/fix costs from the CCTV partners, at least over the first few years, as the outdated equipment will be replaced with modern infrastructure which will have warranties and servicing arrangements in place.

The option to relocate the CCTV room to the ground floor of BWH provides the best balance of deliverability, value for money, security, and operational resilience. BWH provides a secure, unified, and scalable base for a critical 24/7 community-safety service.

Alternative options considered

Do Nothing - Rejected. It would mean lack of modernisation, acceptance of legacy costs and leaving risks associated with technology, cyber, resilience and camera coverage, unresolved. 

Relocate to another Council-owned building - Rejected. No alternative retained asset has been identified that satisfies the spatial, technical, security, and resilience requirements for a 24/7 CCTV operation without substantial additional cost. 

Relocate to leased or externally acquired accommodation - Rejected. This is expected to be the slowest and most expensive option once lease, enabling infrastructure and dilapidation costs are considered. 

Relocate to BWH Floor Eight – Rejected. Whilst BWH would be a retained core civic asset and provides the strongest opportunity to integrate the service and unlock disposal, the location of the control room on the eighth floor brings additional cost and complexity for works to support the control room (HVAC and internal infrastructure, cabling and fibre connectivity). The location also presents an access challenge for multi-agency and partner 24/7 access or as needed.

Relocate to BWH Ground Floor (space behind reception) – Preferred and recommended. BWH is a retained core civic asset and provides the strongest opportunity to integrate the service with facilities, ICT, and resilience functions. The ground floor location also provides optimal multi- agency and partner access.