Nottingham City Council has approved a change to its CCTV policy to introduce charges for some requests to access footage, following a sharp rise in demand from third parties such as insurance companies and solicitors.
Under the amendment, the council will charge an administrative fee of £100 for each request from non-statutory organisations seeking CCTV footage to support civil matters such as insurance claims or legal proceedings. The charge will apply citywide and must be paid in full before any footage is released.
The decision was signed off earlier this month under delegated powers by the council’s executive member for communities, waste and equalities, following advice from legal, finance and information compliance officers.
Nottingham City Council operates an extensive network of CCTV cameras across public spaces, primarily to support crime prevention, public safety and the protection of property. While police and other statutory bodies routinely request footage as part of criminal investigations, the council has also historically processed requests from private and commercial organisations, even though such bodies have no automatic right of access.
According to the council, the number of third-party requests has increased significantly since 2022/23, with around 400 requests now being processed each year. Each request involves staff time to review the application, assess whether there is a lawful basis for disclosure, and carry out any necessary redaction to comply with data protection law and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice.
Officers say this has created a growing operational and financial burden on council resources. The new charge is intended to recover the administrative costs involved and make the service more sustainable, rather than generate profit. Finance officers estimate the change will raise around £40,000 a year, based on current request volumes.
The £100 fee was set following benchmarking against 11 other local authorities, where the average charge for similar requests was found to be £126. Staff time involved in processing requests is costed at between £17.50 and £20.31 per hour.
Requests from Nottinghamshire Police and other law-enforcement or statutory agencies will remain free of charge. The council says this ensures that access to safeguarding and public safety purposes is not affected.
The policy amendment also makes clear that all disclosures must continue to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Third parties will still be required to submit requests in writing, provide specific details such as the date, time and location of an incident, and demonstrate a lawful basis for access. The council retains discretion to refuse requests that do not meet legal requirements.
As part of the decision, the council has been advised to complete or update a data protection impact assessment and to review the level of the fee annually to ensure it reflects actual costs. The amended CCTV policy will be published with updated guidance for staff.
The change does not affect residents’ rights to request footage of themselves under subject access rules, and the council says it will have no direct impact on vulnerable groups or equality considerations, as the charge applies uniformly to commercial third-party requesters.
