Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Apologies for non-attendance were received from Councillors Carr, Pritchard and Roberts.

RESOLVED that: Councillor David Smith be appointed as Chair of the Panel for 2023/24.

The Democratic Services Assistant Manager invited nominations for the Chair of the Panel for 2023/24. Councillor Smith was proposed and seconded by Councillors Mercer and Maxwell respectively. There were no further nominations.

RESOLVED that:Councillor David Smith be appointed as Chair of the Panel for 2023/24.

RESOLVED that: Councillor Gill Mercer be appointed as Deputy Chair of the Panel for 2023/24.

The Chair invited nominations for the Deputy Chair of the Panel for 2023/24. Councillor Mercer was proposed and seconded by Mrs Shields and Councillor Maxwell respectively. There were no further nominations.

Councillor González De Savage expressed thanks to Councillor Mercer for her work as Chair of the Panel for many years and with the National Association of Police, Fire and Crime Panels. Her appointment as Deputy Chair would provide continuity. Councillor Mercer thanked González De Savage for his support as the previous Deputy Chair.  

RESOLVED that: Councillor Mercer be appointed as Deputy Chair of the Panel for 2023/24.

Any requests to speak on an item on the agenda should be notified to the Chair (c/o the Committee Manager) by 12 noon two working days before the date of the meeting.

None received.

Members are asked to declare any interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting.

None declared.

To receive communications from the Chair.

RESOLVED that:

a)    The Panel agrees that the start time for future Panel meetings be changed to 12.30pm.

b)    The Panel requests that arrangements be made to make it easier for Panel members not from West Northamptonshire Council to access The Guildhall for Panel meetings.

The Chair thanked members for their support in appointing him to the position and welcomed Councillor Baker to the Panel.

The Chair asked the Panel to agree to change the start time for future meetings to 12.30pm, which would assist him to manage other commitments. 

Some Panel members not from West Northamptonshire Council expressed concern regarding their ability to access the meeting room. The Democratic Services Assistant Manager advised that this could be followed up to identify the most straightforward way to enable Panel members to get access to the meeting rooms at The Guildhall in future. 

RESOLVED that:

a)  The Panel agreed that the start time for future Panel meetings be changed to 12.30pm.

b)  The Panel requested that arrangements be made to make it easier for Panel members not from West Northamptonshire Council to access The Guildhall for Panel meetings.

To confirm the minutes of the Panel meeting held on 20 April 2023.

RESOLVED that: the minutes of the Police, Fire and Crime Panel meeting held on 20 April 2023 be approved.

RESOLVED that:the minutes of the Police, Fire & Crime Panel meeting held on 20 April 2023 be approved.

Guide time: 1.15 – 2.15pm

RESOLVED that:

a)    The Panel recognises areas of performance in which Northamptonshire Police is the leading force in the country.

b)    The Panel is satisfied that the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has a good understanding of the trajectory of Northamptonshire Police’s performance and issues affecting this.

c)    The Panel recognises the commitment of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service to improving its performance and operation where necessary.

d)    The Panel recognises progress with recruitment to Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service that will help to make both services more reflective of the communities they serve.

e)    The Panel commends the Annual Report 2022/23 and the range of good work done by all concerned that it reflects.

The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) presented the Annual Report and Fire and Rescue Statement for 2022/23, highlighting the following points:

• This was the first combined report covering both the PFCC’s policing and Fire and Rescue functions, which reflected the importance of collaboration between the two service areas.
• The Annual Report highlighted the breadth of the PFCC’s responsibilities, the range of work being done in Northamptonshire and the improvements this had produced.
• Northamptonshire Police now had its highest ever number of police officers and neighbourhood and response team officers were spending almost 66 per cent of their time in the community.
• Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) had been supported to recruit more fire officers and to update equipment. HMICFRS had recognised improving performance but there was no complacency about the need to make further progress.
• Since 2020 the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC) had secured over £3m in external funding to support community safety, with a particular focus on violence against women and girls. The OPFCC also continued to take an innovative approach to early intervention. He was confident that investment in crime prevention was worthwhile, which was reinforced by recent favourable comparisons between crime rates in Northamptonshire and other force areas.
• The work of the Local Criminal Justice Board contributed to addressing challenges facing the criminal justice system whilst also helping Northamptonshire Police to be one of the best-performing forces in the country on positive outcome rates.
• The OPFCC Customer Service team was nationally recognised and was able to respond effectively to annual increases in the number of complaints, including excessive demand created by some vexatious complainants, and to provide information that assisted the PFCC to hold to account the two service chiefs.

·        He would continue to make a case to the government that the funding provided to Northamptonshire did not fairly reflect local challenges and growth. In the meantime, he was proud of what had been done in the past year and would continue to work towards the aim of making Northamptonshire safer.

The Panel considered the Annual Report and questioned the PFCC about the position it presented with regard to progress towards meeting objectives set out in the Police, Fire and Crime Plan and the assurance of compliance with the Fire and Rescue National Framework it gave.

A Panel member challenged the PFCC whether more could be done in the county to support road safety. The PFCC drew attention to the amount of existing activity, highlighting the creation of the Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance; his involvement in a forthcoming road safety summit with East Midlands counterparts to share best practice; and the use of the levy from speed awareness courses to fund road safety schemes and cameras in the community.

Panel members referred to the level of concern in the community about increasing violence against women and girls and raised the following points:

• The PFCC was questioned as to whether he was confident that sufficient resources were being put into work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 152.

Guide time: 2.15 – 2.45pm

RESOLVED that:

a)  The Panel agrees that its work programme for 2023/24 should include the following matters:

·      A Police, Fire and Crime Plan delivery update presented to each regular meeting of the Panel

·      Police and Fire and Rescue Authority budget updates presented to each regular meeting of the Panel

·      The Joint Independent Audit Committee Annual Report 2022/23 presented to the Panel meeting on 7 September 2023

·      A report from the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner on action plans developed to address areas for improvement in service delivery by Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service as identified in the HMICFRS 2021/22 inspection

·      A report from the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner on the outcomes of the  IPSOS Mori public consultation exercise on community safety in Northamptonshire carried out in 2022/23

·      A report from the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner on the new version of the Commissioner’s full Estates Strategy

·      A report from the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner on the local impact of implementing the Serious Violence Duty under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022

·      A report from the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner on the local impact of delays in the Criminal Justice System

·      Briefing sessions with the Chief Constable and with the Chief Fire Officer on their organisations’ operating environment, priorities and challenges

·      A workshop session on the development of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s proposed precepts for 2024/25 in January 2024

·      The final report resulting from task and finish work on early intervention commenced in 2022/23.

b)  The Panel requests that a briefing session with the Chief Constable and, particularly, the Chief Fire Officer be organised as soon as possible on the following basis:

·         the session to be held in-person for preference but with the option to attend remotely if this is necessary for some Panel members

·         the session to be held at an appropriate service venue

·         some introductory information to be provided to Panel members ahead of the session

·         the session to allow sufficient time for Panel members to ask questions.

c)  The Panel agrees to continue its membership of the East Midlands Police and Crime Panels Network for 2023/24.

d)  The Panel agrees to continue its membership of the National Association of Police, Fire and Crime Panels for 2023/24.

e)  The Panel requests that representatives who attend network meetings provide feedback for circulation to all Panel members.

f)   The Panel agrees that training be organised for members on effective scrutiny by Police, Fire and Crime panels.

g)  The Panel agrees that the Panel meeting scheduled for 18 April 2024 be moved to an earlier date to take account of the pre-election period for the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner election.

The Democratic Services Assistant Manager presented the report, highlighting the following points:

·       The Panel’s work programme should be considered at the first regular meeting of the new municipal year. In addition to the mandatory tasks, the Panel should identify the topics that the Panel wished to scrutinise and the method for carrying out those tasks. That could include information gathering, briefing sessions and identifying additional training requirements.

·       The Panel was invited to consider the proposed outline work programme, which had incorporated previous working methods and tasks identified by the previous Panel, and the Panel’s statutory functions.

The Panel considered the report and members made the following points:

·    Councillor Mercer offered, and received support, to remain as the Panel’s representative on the National Association of Police, Fire and Crime Panels.  She would provide the Panel with feedback from the meetings.

·    Continuing the membership of the East Midlands Police and Crime Panels Network, the Panel would benefit from access to training.

·    Training should be provided for new members of the Panel and the substitutes.

·     The Panel sought to meet and receive an informal briefing from the Chief Constable and the Chief Fire Officer, and suggested it be held on site at a central location and for time to be allowed for the Panel to ask questions on behalf of the public.  Provision of headline slides, in advance, would enable the Panel to prepare questions.

·     A meeting should be arranged to bring the early intervention work to a conclusion.

·    Training on effective scrutiny, questioning skills and understanding information would help to support the effectiveness of the Panel as a scrutiny body

In response to points raised during discussion the Democratic Services Assistant Manager provided additional information as follows:

• New Panel members received a welcome pack in the form of an in-house Brief Guide to Police, Fire and Crime Panel and links to information on best practice and the roles of Police, Fire and Crime panels.
• It was proposed that arrangements for recruitment of independent co-opted Panel members should be considered by the last Panel meeting in 2023/24 to allow time for the process to be completed for the start of 2024/25.

During the course of discussion Councillor Mercer advised that correspondence, from the National Association of Police, Fire and Crime Panels, would be circulated to the Panel Members regarding the consultation undertaken in 2023 regarding the Governments proposed changes to the Policing Protocol.

The Democratic Services Assistant Manager advised that the scheduled meeting date of 18April 2024 would conflict with the pre-election period for the May 2024 election of the PFCC and would need to be rescheduled to an appropriate date.

RESOLVED that:

a)   The Panel agreed that its work programme for 2023/24 should include the following matters:

·     A Police, Fire and Crime Plan delivery update presented to each regular meeting of the Panel

·     Police and Fire and Rescue Authority budget updates presented to each regular meeting of the Panel

·     The Joint Independent Audit Committee (JIAC) Annual Report 2022/23 presented  ...  view the full minutes text for item 153.

Guide time: 2.45 – 3.00pm

RESOLVED that:

a)    The Panel agrees the appointment of the following members to serve on the Complaints Sub Committee for 2023/24:

·         Councillors Maxwell and Pritchard from the Conservative councillor members of the Panel

·         Councillor Strachan from the Labour councillor members of the Panel

·         Mrs Shields and Miss Woodhouse from the independent co-opted members of the Panel.

b)    The Panel agrees that councillor members of the Panel be contacted following the current meeting in order to confirm the remaining members and substitutes of the Complaints Sub Committee for 2023/24.

The Democratic Services Assistant Manager outlined the statutory functions of the Police, Fire and Crime Panel Complaints Sub-Committee, and the appointment members.

The Panel considered the report and members indicated their interest in serving on the Sub-Committee.

RESOLVED that:

a)     The Panel agreed the appointment of the following members to serve on the Complaints Sub Committee for 2023/24:

·     Councillors Maxwell and Pritchard from the Conservative councillor members of the Panel

·     Councillor Strachan from the Labour councillor members of the Panel

·     Mrs Shields and Miss Woodhouse from the independent co-opted members of the Panel.

b)   The Panel agreed that councillor members of the Panel be contacted following the current meeting in order to confirm the remaining members and substitutes of the Complaints Sub Committee for 2023/24.

The Chair to advise whether they have agreed to any items of urgent business being admitted to the agenda.

There were no items of urgent business.