TOWN councillors have pledged their support for a £170,000 CCTV system but have not committed themselves to coughing up any cash to help with the running costs of the scheme.

The decision to back the proposed CCTV system in Beaconsfield was taken at a town council meeting last week, where councillors were addressed by Adrian Busby, chairman of the Beaconsfield Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Busby is lobbying local organisations in a bid to raise cash to cover the annual running costs of the 11 cameras.

He has asked for support from Beaconsfield Town Council as the scheme needs to have the financial backing of an organisation or business for the annual costs and the chamber of trade is not prepared to set up a company to deal with the project.

The chamber of trade has obtained £113,000 of funding from the Government, £30,000 from South Bucks District Council and raised £30,000 towards the capital costs itself.

But the chamber needs to raise extra revenue to cover the annual running costs of the cameras and Beaconsfield Town Council is worried about the extent of such a financial commitment.

Mr Busby said: "If we do nothing and are an island without CCTV, we would become a magnet for crooks.

"An unmonitored system is not better than nothing.

"There is only one option for Beaconsfield and that is to generate support across all agencies to make this an effective monitored system.

Buckinghamshire County Council, Thames Valley Police, South Bucks District Council and other large businesses operating in the town, such as Chiltern Railways have all been approached by Mr Busby, but all except the district council have failed to respond yet.

Town councillor Malcolm Dunlop (Con, North Ward) said he supported the idea of a CCTV system in Beaconsfield in principle.

He added: "I would like to see this council take the lead in such a project provided that we understand certain problems. The first one is money."

Deputy mayor Graham Smith (Con, North Ward) said: "There are ways we can find additional funds."

Cllr Archie Legg (Ind, South Ward) said: "Where there is a will there is a way. We all want CCTV. I feel we should be expressing a view that we support it."

The council will make a decision on whether to support the scheme financially at the end of the month.