New cameras to monitor Kettering town centre's footfall

Kettering Council is inviting bids for a two-year contract to install between three and five cameras and provide 24-hour footfall data and reports.

The contract, available on the Government website, is worth between £20,000 and £40,000.

It could see cameras installed in Sheep Street, Market Street and Market Place and two in High Street.

Kettering councillor Mick Scrimshaw (Lab) said it was excellent news.

He said: "One of the problems that we have had in the past is that we do not have quantifiable evidence of what works and what doesn't.

"We don't know if there's a big difference when we put events on and these cameras will be massively helpful.

"We need to know how many people come in on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays [etc], so we can work out what to do when."

It's proposed that the cameras will be placed on existing lamp-posts.

The deadline for bids for the contract is October 15.

It's hoped the contract could then start by November 1 and run until 2021.

The contract says: "Any contract awarded as a result of this procurement will be awarded on a mixture of quality and cost basis and the offer that is the best value for money to Kettering Council."

A Kettering Council spokesman said: “It is recognised that the introduction of a town centre footfall monitoring system will assist the council in understanding how people are accessing and utilising the town centre, and will provide a greater depth of understanding on how specific events, activities, weather and time of the year alter the footfall within our town centre.

“This data will be utilised by teams across the council to inform event-planning, development services, in terms of local planning policy, and economic development insight in terms of our day and night time economy.

“It will also provide a vital basis to track change over the coming years, which enables the council to measure change based on the plans and interventions put in place.”