Meeting documents

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 requires the PCC to produce and publish a Police and Crime Plan. In order to monitor delivery of the Plan during the year it is considered best practice to produce a Delivery Plan to facilitate effective management control and delivery of the PCC’s objectives, and will help to demonstrate transparency, accountability and effective governance within his office.

Please click on the link below for last year’s Plan

https://www.thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk/information-hub/agendas-and-minutes/policy-planning-and-performance/

Within the report Panel Members noted that the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 requires the PCC to produce and publish a Police and Crime Plan. The Act also requires the PCC to produce an Annual Report on progress in delivering the Police and Crime Plan. There is no statutory requirement to produce and monitor delivery of the Plan but this is considered best practice since it will facilitate effective management control and delivery of the PCC’s objectives and will help to demonstrate transparency, accountability and effective governance by the Office of the PCC.

During discussion the following questions were asked:-

Cllr Mallon - Do you think that you should have a Delivery Plan which shows how you will be delivering your 25 key aims in your full Plan rather than a Plan for your back office ?

The Deputy PCC reported that the OPCC 2017/18 Strategic Delivery Plan was in a different format which showed the business areas which support delivery of the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan. The information in the Delivery Plan showed enough transparency around the PCC’s strategic priorities.

Cllr Page re the Community Safety Fund – when will the Formula be reviewed this year and will we be consulted ? Please could you explain more about the High Sheriff PPA Fund and what it is being used for ?

The Chief Finance Officer reported that earlier this year that PCC and Chief Constable jointly agreed to give £25,000 to each of the three county based High Sheriffs to make awards to local charities and/or community groups that support delivery of the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan. This decision is available on the PCC website. He would keep Panel Members updated on any changes to the formula used to allocate the Community Safety Fund. Cllr Mallon commented that it was important that the Panel were kept informed on this area.

Action: Chief Financial Officer

Cllr Macpherson asked that the Panel review performance of the delivery plan. The Panel agreed that rather than review performance six monthly they should revert back to receiving update reports from the OPCC on particular parts of the Plan for each meeting.

Cllr McCracken (who was not present) had asked that the following question be put to the PCC:-

At your Level 1 meeting you commented that you would be writing to the Government in relation to collaboration with the Fire Service and explaining the difficulties of taking on three different models of Fire Service. What did you learn from your visit to Sussex who have a similar structure to the Thames Valley ? Will you be undertaking an initial feasibility study and what is the timescale for this?

(Guidance document for OPCC Chief Executives in relation to the Police and Fire Business Case - CIPFA are referred to as advising that any transfers should take place at the start of the financial year. It also suggests that PCC's should allow at least nine months for completing the process which amongst other things requires multiple party consultation.)

Members noted that the PCC had written to the Minister expressing his concern about looking at three different fire services and its complexity and cost. They were already collaborating with Fire Authorities regarding property but there were challenges taking forward governance issues.

Cllr Webb asked whether a feasibility study was being undertaken? The Deputy PCC commented that this project was too complex to manage in house and that as an office they would have to fund the cost of external consultants who were expert in this area. Therefore to minimise the potential for wasted costs, they would need to look at the appetite and concerns of the Fire Services in the Thames Valley before a feasibility study would be considered and commissioned. They wanted to work collaboratively with the Fire Services in taking this forward, which would have a more successful outcome.