La Seu d’Urgell to install license plate recognition cameras at city entrances

The City Council of La Seu d’Urgell has approved the tender for the installation of license plate recognition cameras at several access points to the city, as part of a package of measures aimed at strengthening crime prevention and public safety.

The measure was one of the initiatives that Junts per la Seu included in its agreement with the Compromís-led local government to support the approval of the 2026 municipal budget. The new system will provide the Municipal Police with additional tools to monitor vehicles entering and leaving the city and assist police work in response to potential criminal activity.

Mayor Joan Barrera has placed the initiative within the broader security strategy being developed by the municipal government. According to Barrera, planning for these measures began last year and also includes the installation of speed cameras and new video surveillance cameras at locations considered potentially problematic.

License plate cameras will also monitor Carrer dels Canonges

The license plate recognition system will not be limited to the city's main entrances. Barrera explained that cameras will also be installed on Carrer dels Canonges, where they will be used to check that vehicles entering or circulating on the street are authorised to do so.

The mayor acknowledged that the implementation of these measures had been delayed by administrative procedures, but stressed that the projects are now moving forward and that the aim is to make La Seu d’Urgell a safer city.

Barrera has defended public safety as a municipal priority, arguing that La Seu must be «safe, as well as clean and well organised». In his view, ensuring a safe urban environment is essential for other activities and projects to develop normally.

Junts welcomes progress on one of its key proposals

Jordi Fàbrega, spokesperson for Junts per la Seu, welcomed the approval of the tender and recalled that his party had been clear during the budget negotiations: security measures had to move from words to action.

Fàbrega stressed that license plate recognition cameras were one of the measures his party had proposed and described Monday's approval as an «important step» towards making them a reality.

Junts has also given a positive assessment of progress on other commitments included in the 2026 budget agreement. Among them is the approval of the Municipal Civic Behaviour Ordinance, which the party had been demanding for some time to prevent antisocial behaviour, protect residents' peace and ensure the proper use of public spaces.

The new ordinance was approved at the municipal plenary session in July and is expected to come into force this August.

More police officers and improved night-time lighting

Another commitment that Junts says is already moving forward is the strengthening and stabilisation of the Municipal Police force. The City Council has approved the terms for stabilising corporal positions and plans to increase the number of officers over the coming months.

The municipality has also agreed on a plan to improve night-time lighting at different locations across the city, including Camp del Codina square and Serrat de la Capella.

At the same time, municipal security committees have been established as a permanent forum to analyse the security situation, assess measures already adopted and monitor their implementation. The first meeting was held in May, while a new meeting is scheduled for September with the participation of local organisations and associations.

Junts calls for visible results for residents

Fàbrega said his party had spent months proposing a series of measures aimed at providing a stronger response to security and coexistence concerns in La Seu d’Urgell and Castellciutat.

According to the Junts spokesperson, several of those proposals are now moving forward: more police officers, new surveillance tools, improved lighting, a civic behaviour ordinance and now license plate recognition cameras.

However, the opposition group believes the next step must be for these measures to produce visible results in residents' daily lives, particularly at night.

«The City Council now has the tools», Fàbrega said, arguing that they must be implemented «with determination» so that the results can be felt on the city's streets.

Junts defends a «constructive opposition» without «blank cheques»

Junts per la Seu has described the tender for the cameras as an example of the «constructive opposition» model it has defended throughout the current term.

The group stressed that its support for the 2026 municipal budget was not a «blank cheque», but rather depended on the government accepting specific commitments.

Those commitments covered areas including security, public roads, economic promotion, taxation, support for sports clubs and monitoring of major city projects.

Fàbrega said his party's role now is to «make proposals, reach agreements when they are good for La Seu and then demand that they are fulfilled». He welcomed Monday's approval and said Junts would continue monitoring the implementation of all the commitments.

The spokesperson concluded that when opposition proposals are turned into concrete improvements for the city, «La Seu wins».