Speed camera vote 'a week away'

The council spends about £400,000 to fund speed cameras in the town

Councillors hoping to remove speed cameras from a Wiltshire town say the move could be agreed on next week.

Swindon Borough Council's ruling Conservative group wants to pull out of the Safety Camera Partnership, meaning the end of speed cameras there.

The move would mean the authority could become the first in England to stop using speed cameras.

Cabinet transport spokesman Peter Greenhalgh said he expected the move to be rubber-stamped on 22 October.

"The recommendation is for the council to give notice to withdraw from the partnership from April," said Mr Greenhalgh.

"It is in line with a Department for Transport report published on 25 September which said speed is only responsible for six percent of accidents," he said.

Cut accidents

The authority said it spends £320,000 per year on funding speed cameras in the town.

Speaking in July 2008, council leader Roderick Bluh said the government's own statistics showed the cameras were not the most effective way to cut accidents.

But the Labour group on the council has strongly criticised the move, saying it would be a dangerous move.

"If the Tories nod through this decision they will be making a grave mistake... they will be guilty of playing with Swindon people's lives," said Labour's Derique Montaut.

The Labour group added that it wanted to work with the ruling group on other road safety measures.

The authority decided to review its involvement in the local safety camera partnership scheme following a change in speed camera funding rules, which mean the Treasury keeps proceeds of fines and then makes road-safety grants to councils.