Agenda and minutes

Budget Meeting, Surrey Police and Crime Panel - Friday, 4 February 2022 10.30 am

Venue: Woodhatch Place, Reigate, Surrey

Contact: Benjamin Awkal 

Media

Items
No. Item

1/22

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2/22

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 24 NOVEMBER 2021 pdf icon PDF 2 MB

    To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 24 November 2021 as a correct record.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The minutes of the meeting held on 24 November 2021 were agreed as a true record of the meeting.

3/22

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

    All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter

    (i)            Any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or

    (ii)           Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at this meeting

    NOTES:

    ·         Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest

    ·         As well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is living as a spouse or civil partner)

    ·         Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be reasonably regarded as prejudicial.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    None received.

4/22

PUBLIC QUESTIONS

    The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (28 January 2022).

     

    Note:

    A written response will be circulated to Panel Members and the questioner.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    None received.

5/22

PERFORMANCE MEETINGS pdf icon PDF 221 KB

    This report provides an update on the performance meetings between the PCC and the Chief Constable that have been held and what has been discussed in order to demonstrate that arrangements for good governance and scrutiny are in place.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witness:

    Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

     

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    1. The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) noted that the first public and live broadcast performance and accountability meeting with the Chief Constable was held on 31 January 2022, and was available to watch online. The next public, likely to be scheduled in May, would be held during the evening  to try and generate greater public engagement. The PCC encouraged Panel Members to watch the meeting and welcomed any feedback. Private performance meetings would continue, considering matters including Force finances, savings, and IT.

     

    1. A Panel Member highlighted the low crime clear-up rate and asked what was preventing its improvement, and noted a lack of detail in the report. The PCC explained that the performance meetings were held to challenge and she would look into adding more detail to future reports. The Panel Member asked what rate would meet the Force’s ambition of a top-quartile clear-up rate. The PCC agreed to provide a response from the Chief Constable following the meeting. The Chairman noted that the Panel were looking forward to receiving a refreshed performance dashboard and requested that the response from the Chief Constable included the steps to be taken to achieve the target clear-up rate.

     

    1. A Panel Member asked about the Force’s commitment to be carbon-neutral by 2030 and the likelihood of achieving this. The PCC explained that the Force had assured her that it could meet this target and brought attention to the ability to redevelop the Mount Browne site in a sustainable and carbon-neutral way. The Panel Member queried the amount of money required to redevelop the site and highlighted that police stations would need to be evaluated in the same manner and against the same target. The PCC agreed and explained that the Building the Future Board and Estates Board oversaw this work.

     

    1. A Panel Member asked for a timescale for the Force’s planned deep dive into domestic abuse victim satisfaction and improvement of those levels. The PCC noted that the topic was covered in the recent performance and accountability meeting. The PCC did not have a timescale for the project. A Panel Member shared his concern regarding domestic abuse victim satisfaction and requested relevant data on the satisfaction levels in the next performance and accountability report to the Panel and explanatory wording if the levels did not improve. The PCC explained that this information was included in the Force performance report and would be shared with Panel Members.

     

    RESOLVED:

    The Panel noted and commented on the report.

     

    Actions/further information requested:

    1. R1/22 – The OPCC to provide a response from the Chief Constable regarding the target set for the clear-up rate in percentage terms and actions to be taken to achieve the target.

     

    1. R2/22 – The PCC to write to the Panel with further information on the Force’s deep dive into domestic abuse victim satisfaction levels.

     

    1. R3/22 – The OPCC to share the January 2022 Performance report with the Panel.

6/22

PCC FORWARD PLAN AND KEY DECISIONS pdf icon PDF 320 KB

    This report provides information on the key decisions taken by the PCC from November 2021 to present and sets out details of the Office’s ongoing Forward Plan for 2021/2022.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    None.

    RESOLVED:

    The Panel noted the report.

7/22

COMMISSIONER'S QUESTION TIME pdf icon PDF 404 KB

    For the Panel to raise any issues or queries concerning crime and policing in Surrey with the Commissioner.

     

    Note:

    The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (31 January 2022).

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witness:

    Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

    Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer – OPCC

    Alison Bolton, Chief Executive – OPCC

    Ellie Vesey-Thompson, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    1. A Panel Member asked for the total costs incurred by the abandoned project to move the Force’s headquarters to Leatherhead and whether any value could be retrieved for the benefit of the Force or the Leatherhead community. The Chief Finance Officer (CFO) explained that the responses to the Member’s questions were under question 46 and 47 of the supplementary agenda. The CFO explained that the total spend on the project so far was £1.5 million, which had been charged as revenue over a number of years. The senior responsible officer had provided a list of areas where the consultancy work could be reused. The Chairman noted the upcoming visit to Mount Browne for Panel Members to receive an informal briefing on the project.

     

    1. A Panel Member asked about the review of Surrey Police’s CCTV strategy, as well as the revenue and capital expenditure included in the proposed budget for CCTV monitoring and infrastructure. The CFO responded that there was £800,000 in the revenue budget for CCTV for the whole of the county and there was nothing in the capital budget for CCTV. Funding was not allocated on a district and borough basis and the OPCC was working with district and borough councils to secured funding for CCTV, such as from the Community Infrastructure Levy. The PCC added that this topic was covered in the recent performance and accountability meeting.

     

    1. A Panel Member requested information on the use of CCTV by Surrey Police and expressed his view that the Force’s contributions were not proportionate to  the investment of district and borough councils. The PCC responded that there had been conversations at the Surrey councils Leader’s Group around CCTV, where it was a standing agenda item. The PCC explained that the provision and funding of CCTV was not a cost to be borne by the Police alone and a county-wide approach was required, with the Districts and Boroughs leading it. The Vice-Chairman raised that this was a burden which had been increasingly shifted onto the Districts and Boroughs and there would be an advantage to having a clear policy across Surrey between the Police and Districts and Boroughs.

     

    1. A Panel Member highlighted that other Police Forces around the country held a register of residents who had ‘Ring Video Doorbells’ and personal CCTV. The PCC shared that Surrey Police did not maintain such a register but frequently used both personal and commercial CCTV footage and agreed with the usefulness of Ring doorbell footage. A Panel Member asked whether there would be a CCTV register, as he was aware of local issues around accessing CCTV from different sources. The Chairman suggested that this point could be raised at the Leader’s Group.  

     

    1. A Panel Member asked whether Surrey Police would operate a similar system to Kent Police whereby  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7/22

8/22

COMPLAINTS RECEIVED SINCE THE LAST MEETING pdf icon PDF 121 KB

    To note complaints against the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner received since the last meeting of the Police and Crime Panel.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    None.

    RESOLVED:

    The Panel noted the report.

9/22

RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER AND FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 114 KB

10/22

SURREY POLICE GROUP FINANCIAL REPORT FOR MONTH 8 FINANCIAL YEAR 2021/22 pdf icon PDF 740 KB

    The purpose of this report is to inform the Police & Crime Panel of the Surrey Police Group (i.e. OPCC and Chief Constable combined) of the financial position as at the 30 November 2021, as well as a prediction for the situation at the end of the year.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

     

    Witnesses:

    Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer – OPCC

    Alison Bolton, Chief Executive – OPCC

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    1. The CFO introduced the report and highlighted that the revenue budget was predicted to be underspent by £1.9 million (0.7%) by the end of the year. This was largely due to police officer salaries being lower than budgeted, due to the new recruits starting at the bottom end of salary bands and the phasing of recruitment. If the underspend was as predicted, it would be used to fund a number of one-off change projects. The Force had predicted that it would meet the target for uplift investment officer numbers by the end of the year. The CFO noted that uplift was worked out by the increase in headcount against a baseline set two years ago. Gross recruitment was higher than it appeared in the report as the Police had to replace those retiring as well as the uplift numbers. The capital budget was forecast to be underspent largely due to the phasing of the Building the Future and ICT projects.

     

    1. A Panel Member queried the variance for Corporate Services capital expenditure. The CFO explained that included within Corporate Services were Building the Future project, estates, and vehicles. The majority of the underspend in this area was due to the rephasing of the Building the Future project. The Panel Member highlighted that leasing would need to be recorded as a debt on balance sheets in the future and queried the impact this would have on Surrey Police. The CFO explained that this was to be introduced from the end of this financial year and stated that the Police had few leases and thus, this change would have a minimal impact.

     

    1. In response to a question on other sites included in the Building the Future project, the CFO explained that work on the other sites was paused whilst deciding a strategic direction to prevent the incurring of unnecessary costs.

     

    RESOLVED:

    The Panel noted and commented on the report.

11/22

OFFICE OF THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FINANCIAL UPDATE FOR MONTH 9 FINANCIAL YEAR 2021/22 AND ESTIMATE FOR YEAR END OUTTURN pdf icon PDF 433 KB

    The purpose of this report is to inform the Police & Crime Panel of the OPCC’s financial performance at Month 9 for the 2021/22 financial year together with an estimate of the year end outturn against budget.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

    Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer – OPCC

    Alison Bolton, Chief Executive – OPCC

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    1. The CFO introduced the report and explained that the OPCC’s budget was split into operational costs and monies allocated for commissioning and grants. The CFO highlighted that many Panels do not receive such detailed information on their respective OPCC’s expenditure, and this was provided to maintain transparency as established by the former PCC. The CFO explained that there was an overprediction in expenditure for the year end outturn, especially for the DPCC’s salary.

     

    1. A Panel Member queried what was meant by the ‘Member’s Attendance Allowance’ as included in the report. The CEX explained that was likely for the OPCC’s independent members or legally qualified chairs, as the OPCC had a role in recruiting those individuals.

     

    1. The Chairman queried why the cost of ‘other contributions’ was at £46,724 when it had a budget of zero. The CFO could not recall what made up this cost so would report back to the Panel in due course.

     

    Actions/requests for further information:

    1. R6/22 – The Chief Finance Officer to provide further information on ‘other contributions’ of the OPCC for the 2021/22 financial year.

     

    RESOLVED:

    The Panel noted and commented on the report.

12/22

OFFICE OF THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER'S BUDGET FOR 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 533 KB

    This paper is provided to the Police & Crime Panel for information only to give Panel Members information on the budget to fund the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for the financial year 2022/23. 

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

    Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

    Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer – OPCC

    Alison Bolton, Chief Executive – OPCC

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    1. The PCC acknowledged that any increase in any budget was not taken lightly but she needed to ensure that the OPCC as an organisation was suitably equipped to meet increased demand and deliver her and the Office’s statutory functions. The increase in operational budget would fund new posts where the OPCC was currently at its weakest. Investment would mean those contacting the Office would have their case dealt with in a timely manner, which was not always the case currently. The PCC believed that greater work could be undertaken with Criminal Justice System (CJS) partners, and this would require a new role within the Office. Increasing the visibility of the PCC and OPCC to the public was necessary to further transparency and public understanding of their work and thus, investment in a communications role was also proposed. Commissioning services and giving grants to support victims required additional resource to secure funding and achieve value for money. The PCC highlighted that Surrey’s OPCC was considerably smaller than other OPCCs in the region, with only three being smaller within England and Wales.

     

    1. It was raised by the PCC that the Office owed considerable amounts of overtime to almost all staff members and the PCC shared her concern that this could result in a loss of staff members. The PCC assured Panel Members that the proposed increase in the operational budget for the OPCC was to the benefit of both Surrey Police and residents and following the increase would account for 0.5% of the total Police budget. It was noted that £270,000 of the increase was to fund new posts and the remainder was to meet other costs including cost of living and pay increases for existing staff. The PCC provided Panel Members with an overview of the work of the OPCC, including new initiatives since her election. The services that the OPCC commissioned were said to directly support vulnerable residents within the community. The OPCC had successfully bid for over £2.3 million of government funding, which included £1.1 million for domestic abuse and sexual violence support and had worked with partners to secure £2.8 million from the Changing Futures funding.

     

    1. A Panel Member recognised that there was a lack of understanding by the public regarding the role and functions of the PCC and her Office. The Panel Member disagreed with the idea that an increased budget for the OPCC would take away from front-line policing services, when rather, their work supported that of front-line services. The Panel Member highlighted the importance of understanding where to go with a concern about policing and receiving a response in a timely manner. The Panel Member expressed his support for the OPCC budget proposal. The PCC shared that since May 2021, the OPCC had received 2,222 contacts from residents and the average number of complaints per month had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12/22

13/22

SURREY POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER'S PROPOSED PRECEPT 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 1 MB

    The Police and Crime Panel is required to consider and formally respond to the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Proposed Precept for 2022/23. The purpose of this item is to allow the Commissioner to outline his proposals in more detail and To answer any questions that Panel Members might have.

     

    Following consideration of the Commissioner’s proposed precept, the Panel must either:

     

    a) agree the precept without qualification or comment;

    b) support the precept and make comments or recommendations

    concerning the application of the revenues generated; or

    c) veto the proposed precept.

     

    Note:

    In accordance with the Police and Crime Panels (Precepts and Chief Constable Appointments) Regulations 2012:

    (a) The Commissioner must notify the Panel of her proposed precept by 1 February 2022;

    (b) The Panel must review and make a report to the Commissioner on the proposed precept (whether it vetoes the precept or not) by 8 February 2022;

    (c) If the Panel vetoes the precept, the Commissioner must have regard to and respond to the Panel’s report, and publish her response, including the revised precept, by 15 February 2022;

    (d) The Panel, on receipt of a response from the Commissioner notifying it of her revised precept, must review the revised precept and make a second report to the Commissioner by 22 February 2022 (there is no second right of veto);

    (e) The Commissioner must have regard to and respond to the Panel’s second report and publish her response by 1 March 2022.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

    Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

    Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer – OPCC

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    1. The PCC explained that since being elected she had spent a significant amount of time talking to police officers and staff to understand the pressures they were under, as well as speaking to residents to understand their priorities. The police officer uplift had been an enormous success and Surrey were to recruit 249 of the 2,000 police offers under the government initiative. The PCC noted that government funding for policing had been increased for 2022/23; however, it did not cover the total cost of increases in National Insurance contributions and pay. Surrey Police received the lowest amount of funding per head from government and as a result, funding from council tax was extremely important. The government had also assumed in its funding announcements that all PCCs would utilise the maximum £10 increase in precept. The Chief Constable supported an increase of £10 which was needed to sustain current Police services, improve performance and deliver the Police and Crime Plan. The impact on the Force of a lower precept was discussed at the most recent performance and accountability meeting. The PCC noted that there was a clear majority of responses to the public consultation in support of increasing the precept by at least £10. After consideration of the Chief Constable’s comments, the result of the consultation, the government funding assumption, and the need to sustain Police services, the PCC believed there was no alternative but to increase the precept by £10.

     

    1. A Panel Member queried why the line on the OPCC’s reserves remained unchanged in the proposal for 2022/23, despite stating that £250,000 would be taken out of the reserves to fund the budget increase. The CFO replied that it should have come out of that line of the budget and that was the intention.

     

    1. A Panel Member stated that he would support the full £10 increase of the precept in order to sustain Police services that Surrey residents deserved. The Panel Member noted the intention for transformational savings in the medium and long term and hoped this would continue. The PCC explained to the Panel that despite a government assumption that the precept would be increased to £10 for the next three years, she had made clear to the Force that it should not rely on that assumption and that she expected to see significant transformational savings. The Panel Member stated that he expected to see more regular reporting on the Building the Future project, as a significant amount of money was lost on the Leatherhead site. The PCC agreed with the Panel Member and requested for an item on the next agenda to include an update on estates.

     

    1. A Panel Member noted that any local authority that was required to precept against the council tax had difficult conversations regarding any increase, whilst acknowledging that it was a fundamental source of income. The Panel Member expressed that he  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13/22

14/22

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

    The next public meeting of the Police and Crime Panel will be held on 21 April 2022 (or if Precept vetoed – 21 February 2022).

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Panel noted that its next public meeting would be held on Thursday, 21 April 2022.