Issue - meetings

To consider whether the Police and Crime Commissioner’s powers should be extended any further than the functional power of competence and to delegate power of authority to the Head of Community Services in association with the Leader of the Council to respond to the consultation.   

a.       That authority be delegated to the Head of Community Services, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to respond to the Home Office consultation on extending the Police and Crime Commissioners’ Power of Competence.

b.       That the response indicate that there should be no extension to the existing powers of the Police and Crime Commissioner.  

46.1          The report of the Head of Community Services, circulated at Pages No. 101-116, set out the Home Office consultation on extending the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Power of Competence. Members were asked to agree the response to the consultation and to delegate authority to the Head of Community Services, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to make the response.

46.2          The Head of Community Services explained that this had been quite a complex report to write. Essentially, the options that the business case explored were: no change/status quo to keep the powers as they were at the moment; a wider functional power of competence to respond that the Council supports giving the Police and Crime Commissioner wider powers similar to those held by the Fire and Rescue Service; and a general power of competence which would give the Police and Crime Commissioner far wider powers similar to the general powers that were currently held by local authorities. It was the feeling of Officers that the Police and Crime Commissioner currently worked to the very edge of their functional power of competence meaning they could be open to challenge in their work in areas such as crime prevention/youth justice because that was not directly related to policing even though the Police and Crime Commissioner office funded crime prevention. However, a general power of competence would be too distracting so it was considered that, if there was to be any change, it should be merely to slightly broaden the role but not be significantly changed.

46.3          During the discussion which ensued, Members felt the Police and Crime Commissioner’s remit needed to remain as it was to ensure the focus of the role was where it should be. In response to some concerns, the Head of Community Services confirmed there was no intention to extend the powers of the Police and Crime Commissioner into the Fire and Rescue Service.

46.4          Having considered the report, it was felt by Members that the powers of competence of the Police and Crime Commissioner should not be extended beyond the existing. Accordingly, it was