MORE than 240 responses were received to a Ceredigion council consultation on how drones are to be used by the authority, councillors heard.
At the June meeting of Ceredigion County Council’s corporate resources overview and scrutiny committee, members were asked to consider a recent council held consultation on its draft UAV/Drones Policy, and to note changes made during that consultation, recommending to Cabinet the draft policy is approved.
The draft policy was presented to Cabinet last December, with a public consultation agreed, running up to January 14 of this year, the results coming before the committee ahead of a final approval by Cabinet.
At the time of the consultation launch, Councillor Matthew Vaux, cabinet member for partnerships, housing, legal and governance and public protection, said: “Drones can be a valuable tool in improving public safety and supporting enforcement, but we understand that transparency, trust and safeguards for the public are essential.
“This consultation is specifically about the draft policy and gives you the opportunity to shape its contents before any final decisions are made.
“There are also potential cost and efficiency benefits in other areas, such as surveying and structural inspections.”
The public consultation said drone technology could help the council monitor hotspot areas, support inspections, gather evidence safely, and improve the efficiency of local services.
However, drone use also raised concerns about privacy, data handling, and public accountability, the council saying wants to ensure any future drone use is proportionate, necessary, and transparent.
Following the consultation, in a report presented by Cllr Vaux at the June committee, members heard 239 online responses were submitted as well as four written responses.
Concerns raised in the responses included 185 raising “privacy concerns / invasion of privacy Includes fear of being watched, filmed at home, surveillance creep, ‘Big Brother,’ spying, misuse of footage,” 150 raising “opposition to surveillance / authoritarianism concerns,” 130 raising a lack of trust in the council, as well as concerns about drones over private land and a potential cause of distress to wildlife and livestock.
However, some respondents were supportive of the use of drones for such roles as tackling fly-tipping, finding abandoned dogs, emergency search and rescue, tackling antisocial behaviour, and their use for tourism promotion footage.
Since the issues raised in the consultation, many amendments have been made to the draft policy ahead of its final presentation to Cabinet, Cllr Vaux told members, pointing out the draft drone policy was “an extra layer” to existing national regulations.
Members agreed to recommend the amended drone scheme to Cabinet for a future decision.
