Councillors and committees

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Woodhatch Place, Reigate, Surrey

Contact: Ross Pike, Scrutiny Business Manager 

Media

Items
No. Item

36/21

ELECTION OF A CHAIRMAN

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    The Panel is asked to elect a Chairman for the year 2023/24.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    One nomination had been received in advance of the meeting: 

    1.    Councillor John Robini was proposed by Councillor Paul Kennedy and seconded by Councillor Danielle Newson. 

     

    As there were no further nominations no vote was necessary. Councillor John Robini was duly elected as Chair.

    RESOLVED: 

    The Panel agreed the appointment of Councillor John Robini as the Surrey Police and Crime Panel Chairman for the Council Year 2023/24.

    The Chairman welcomed The Police and Crime Commissioner, Lisa Townsend and her team from the OPCC including Alison Bolton, the Chief Executive, Damian Markland Head of Performance and Governance and Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer.

     

    The Chairman welcomed new members to the Panel. Thanks were recorded for former Panel members (Cllr Hannah Dalton, Cllr Richard Morris, Cllr Satvinder Buttar, Cllr Valerie White, Cllr John Furey) and special thanks for the previous Vice Chairman, Cllr Mick Gillman Tandridge District Council.

     

37/21

ELECTION OF A VICE-CHAIRMAN

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    The Panel is asked to elect a Vice-Chairman for the year 2023/24.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Two nominations had been received in advance of the meeting: 

    1.    Martin Stillwell was proposed by John Robini and seconded by Councillor Ellen Nicholson.

     

    2.    Councillor Alex Coley was proposed by Councillor Richard Smith and seconded by Councillor Barry Cheyne. 

     

    As there was more than one nomination a vote was taken by show of hands, with six votes for Cllr Coley and six votes for Mr Martin Stillwell. The Chairman held the casting vote. Mr Stillwell was duly appointed.

    RESOLVED: 

    The Panel agreed the appointment of Mr Martin Stilwell as the Surrey Police and Crime Panel Vice-Chairman for the Council Year 2023/24.

     

38/21

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

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    The Chairman to report apologies for absence.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Apologies were received from Mr Martin Stillwell.

     

39/21

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 18 APRIL 2023 pdf icon PDF 823 KB

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    To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 18 April 2023 as a correct record.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    1.    The minutes of the meeting held on 18 April 2023 were agreed as a true record of the meeting. 

     

40/21

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

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    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 were declared.

41/21

PUBLIC QUESTIONS

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    The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (22 June 2023).

     

    Note:

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

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    None were received.

42/21

POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR SURREY ANNUAL REPORT pdf icon PDF 100 KB

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    Purpose: The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act (2011) places a duty on Police and Crime Commissioners to produce an Annual Report. The report should cover the exercise of the PCC’s functions in the financial year and the progress made in meeting the Police and Crime Plan. The report should be presented to the Police and Crime Panel for comment and recommendations, and then a formatted version produced and published.

     

    The attached Annual Report covers the period April 2022 to March 2023 and is submitted to the Police and Crime Panel for comment.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

    Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

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

    Damian Markland, Head of Performance and Governance (OPCC)

    Alison Bolton, Chief Executive (OPCC)

    Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer (OPCC)

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    1.    The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) gave an overview of the year highlighting areas of success for the OPCC including £9million of funding for commissioning through competitive bids to government; a new Chief Constable recruited and more police officers in Surrey than ever before, exceeding the government uplift target by 136 officers. The PCC highlighted challenges around staff retention plus those arising from her national roles on Mental Health and Roads and Transport.

     

    2.    A Panel Member asked what could be done to address the staff retention issue and to stop officers from leaving. The PCC explained that an extra 395 officers had been recruited as part of Operation Uplift. This included a deliberate over recruitment by 136 to address a backlog in retirements post-covid. The planned number of recruits for FY2023-34 was 228.  The PCC outlined various steps to help retention including a move away from the degree-only route into policing; work around mental health and the Right Care Right Person strategy aimed at ensuring officers are not attending incidents where a mental health professional would be more appropriate; plus access to affordable housing. The OPCC were working to ensure a hub of affordable housing stock was available in each division for officers. A Panel Member (AC) asked if the number of officers who had left the force since the uplift began in 2019 could be provided in writing. [Action i: OPCC to provide data on the number of officers who have left the force since the uplift began in 2019]

     

    3.    A panel member noted that Victim Satisfaction rates continue to fall and remain worse than last year and queried the reason behind this decline. The PCC emphasised that this was a wider criminal justice challenge and that the satisfaction rates reflected public dissatisfaction with the overall criminal justice system. Work by the Deputy PCC to enhance public satisfaction through improved communications between the public and the police was outlined. The PCC noted that if the public feel well communicated with by the police it makes a real difference. The PCC explained that some of the statistics underpinning overall satisfaction rates were actually very positive, for example around domestic abuse where many of the victim satisfaction metrics were high. The Head of Performance and Governance explained that victim support which had previously been delivered by an external contract was now ‘in house’ and properly embedded within the Force. This had improved the service provided to victims and raised the profile and understanding of victim support internally.

     

    4.    A Panel Member expressed sympathy with the PCC’s concerns over policing and mental health and queried whether commissioning efforts could be focused in this area. The ‘No Time To Wait’ campaign was flagged. The PCC emphasised the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42/21

43/21

PERFORMANCE MEETINGS pdf icon PDF 227 KB

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    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:

    Witnesses:

    Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

    Damian Markland, Head of Performance and Governance (OPCC)

     

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    1. The PCC explained that regular meetings took place with the Chief Constable to look at policing activity and progress against the police and crime plan. Every other meeting was public. The PCC encouraged the Panel Members to watch the most recent meeting with the Chief Constable online.

     

    2. A Panel Member asked about retention and staff morale. The PCC noted that morale amongst officers was a challenge especially when other public sector groups were going on strike and seeking pay increases. ‘Stay interviews’ were being introduced and would be an important element of the retention strategy. These conversations took place with officers who were considering leaving and were aimed at identifying what could be done to encourage them to stay. 

     

    3.   A Panel Member asked about 101 performance and improvements.  The Head of Performance and Governance noted that historically surrey police was good at answering 999 calls with 90% of calls answered within a 10 second target. However, performance had dropped down to 53% due to difficulties with the contact centre. This was now almost back up to 90% as of May 2023 which was a huge achievement. No national or regional targets existed for 101 non-emergency call answering times, however this had also improved with wait times more than halved since March: another good turnaround. 

     

    4.  A Panel Member asked about the impact of recent Just Stop Oil protects.  The PCC gave credit to the Deputy Chief Constable for the excellent work of the force on this and for setting the commendable tone and attitude by which the force undertook the action and arrests.  The force’s work in relation to the Queen’s funeral and the Epsom Derby were also highlighted as examples of excellent policing.

     

    5.   A Panel Member asked about the Data Hub. A discussion followed on data standards, datasets, analytics support and future plans for developing the hub. The Head of Performance and Governance reassured the Panel that data was extracted directly from the force’s own systems and that the force Registrar was fully involved. He emphasised that the Hub was not intended as a professional analytical product, but a transparency tool for residents. Plans to expand the hub would be focused on its usefulness to residents.

     

    RESOLVED:

    The Panel noted the report.

     

44/21

PCC FORWARD PLAN AND KEY DECISIONS pdf icon PDF 503 KB

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    This report provides information on the key decisions taken by the PCC from April 2023 to present and sets out details of the Office’s ongoing Forward Plan for 2023/24

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

    Damian Markland, Head of Performance and Governance (OPCC)

    Alison Bolton, Chief Executive (OPCC)

    Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer (OPCC)

     

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    1.    A Panel Member noted that the annual financial report 2022-23 would normally be presented to this meeting.  The OPCC agreed that this item should be added to the Forward Work Plan. The member drew attention to a number of internal audit reports which gave limited assurance in a range of areas and sought reassurance. The Chief Finance Officer gave explanations and noted that all the audit recommendations had been implemented.

    [Action vi: OPCC and Panel Support Officer to add Unaudited Financial Report for 202/23 to respective Forward Plans.

     

    2.    A Panel Member (NC) raised the issue of Surrey Fire and Rescue Service governance and the Home Office white paper.  The PCC explained that the Fire Team within the Home Office had specifically asked her to look into it.  The PCC explained that for this reason and in order to fulfil her duties under the white paper it was necessary to initiative a review.

     

    RESOLVED:

    The Panel noted the report.

     

45/21

SURREY POLICE & CRIME PANEL ANNUAL REPORT 2022-23 pdf icon PDF 358 KB

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    Purpose: In accordance with best practice for scrutiny and transparency as noted in Schedule 3 – In-Year Monitoring Information Requirements of the Home Office Grant Agreement, an annual report by Police and Crime Panels is an important Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to be monitored and reported on. This report provides a summary of the activity of the Surrey Police and Crime Panel from June 2023 to April 2023.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED:

    The Panel approved the report.

     

46/21

COMMISSIONER'S QUESTION TIME pdf icon PDF 254 KB

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    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 (23 June 2023).

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

    Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

    Alison Bolton, Chief Executive (OPCC)

    Seven Panel Member questions had been received. A summary of Questions and written responses was at the Annex. The Chairman invited supplementary questions or remarks.

    Key points raised in the discussion:

    1.    On questions 2 - A Panel Member highlighted remaining concerns pertaining to unlawfully captured personal data on the suspicious activity portal and concerns raised by the Information Commissioners Office in April including that data may not be being stored in the correct way. The PCC committed to revert with a fuller answer.

    [Action vii: OPCC to follow up in writing with a further response and clarification to Cllr Nicholson]

     

    2.    On question 1 – Future of Surrey Fire & Rescue Service Governance. A Panel member accepted that the Commissioner was looking into the matter because she had been asked to but noted for the record that the Chief Fire officer was already a member of the senior leadership team at Surrey County Council and that Surrey saw no need for any change.

     

    3.    Question 5 – There was discussion around the distinction between establishment and strength figures and the impact on the numbers of PCSOs following concerns about their potential reduction. The PCC emphasized that there has been no overall reduction in numbers as PCSOs had been replaced by warranted officers.

     

     

47/21

COMPLAINTS RECEIVED SINCE THE LAST MEETING pdf icon PDF 118 KB

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    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:

    RESOLVED:

    The Panel noted the report.

     

48/21

RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER AND FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 113 KB

49/21

RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMPLAINTS SUB-COMMITTEE 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 215 KB

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    Purpose: The Panel is asked to reconstitute the Complaints Sub-Committee for 2023/24.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED:

    1. Appointed the following members to the Complaints Sub-Committee for the 2023/24 Council year, having filed the vacancies:

          Councillor John Robini – Chairman

          Councillor Martin Sitwell – Vice-Chairman

          Councillor Ellen Nicholson

          Councillor Victor Lewanski

          Councillor Barry Cheyne

          Independent Member – tbc

     

    A panel member asked for a response on the procedural issue relating to the independent member which had been raised prior to the meeting. The Scrutiny manager noted that advice had not yet been received but would be forthcoming. A second independent member would be recruited.

     

    [Action viii: Scrutiny Manager to revert to Cllr Coley once advice received. 

    Action viiii: Panel Secretariat to progress independent member recruitment]

     

50/21

RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FINANCE SUB-GROUP 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 156 KB

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    Purpose: The Panel is asked to reconstitute the Finance Sub-Group for 2023/24.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

     

    RESOLVED:

    1. Appointed the following members to the Finance Sub-Group for the 2023/24 Council year, having filed the vacancies:

          Councillor John Robini – Chairman

          Councillor Martin Sitwell – Vice-Chairman

          Councillor Paul Kennedy

          Councillor Barry Cheyne

          Councillor Nick Prescott

          Independent Member

     

51/21

DATE OF NEXT MEETING: 28 SEPTEMBER 2023

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    The next public meeting of the Police and Crime Panel will be held on Thursday 28 September 2023.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Panel noted that its next public meeting would be held on Monday, 28 September 2023.