Agenda item

The Committee received a verbal update from Councillor Valerie White, the Council’s appointed member of the Surrey Police and Crime Panel.

The Surrey Police and Crime Panel was underpinned by the governance and accountability arrangements detailed in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. The role of the Panel was to examine the actions and decisions of Surrey's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and to make sure information was available for the public so that they could hold the Police and Crime Commissioner to account.

The Panel was a committee of Surrey County Council, and consisted of one elected councillor from each of Surrey's twelve local authorities and two co-opted independent members.

The Panel held the PCC to account in a constructive manner by review of her policies and crime plan; and the subsequent making of reports and recommendations. Furthermore the PCC’s annual report was specifically scrutinised during a fully-attended public meeting. A confirmation hearing was held where the Panel made a recommendation as to the appointment of a Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (Deputy PCC).

Following Committee discussion, it was advised that the panel voted to recommend that Ellie Vesey- Thompson was not appointed to the role of Deputy PCC, despite a claim that she would be invaluable given a prediction that the role would amount to spending 75% of her time with young people. The Panel was due to receive a report at the end of the month in respect of how the position had progressed over the past year.

It was also noted that at the time of the setting of the PCC Council Tax precept, whilst the Panel made alternative budgetary recommendations on how the money would be spent to the PCC, these recommendations were not accepted.

The Committee felt that there was room for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to better promote the recommendations and work undertaken by the Police and Crime Panel and noted out of date information on its website.

Members thanked Councillor Valerie White for her informative update and endorsed receiving future similar updates in a verbal or written form.