Agenda and minutes

No declarations were received.

Resolved : That the minutes of the Panel meeting held on 24 October 2022 be approved and signed by the Chairman.

Questions to the Commissioner are invited from members of the public who live or work in Staffordshire.  Notice of questions must be received by no later than three clear working days before the Panel meeting.  More information on where and how to submit a question can be found at https://bit.ly/34arVDw

The Panel considered the questions ask by a member of the public and the Commissioners written response. 

Two questions had been asked by Ms Mallender in advance of the meeting and the Commissioner confirmed his response as written in the report attached to the agenda.

A further member of the public, Mr Bradbury had raised a question, detailed below.  The question had not been received in time to print on the agenda and was circulated, along with the Commissioners response at the meeting. 

Question: The Staffordshire Fire Service has been in special measures for a year. Why and how much longer will the measures be in place?

The Commissioners response was as follows:

It is incorrect to state that Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is in ‘special measures’. The approach taken by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) is set out here How we inspect fire and rescue services - His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) – Home (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk). All services are subject to the same assessment criteria, however there is no facility to place a service in ‘special measures’. On inspection in 2021/22, HMICFRS rated Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service as follows:

·       The extent to which the service is effective at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks is good.

·       The extent to which the service is efficient at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks requires improvement.

·       The extent to which the service looks after its people requires improvement.

Across these three headings, HMICFRS identified 20 areas for improvement which Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service are addressing. No causes of concern were identified and therefore the service is not subject to any closer monitoring by HMICFRS in addition to the ongoing assessment and inspection framework. The full report can be found here  Effectiveness, efficiency and people 2021/22: An inspection of Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk).

Resolved: That the questions asked and the Commissioners response were noted.

No decisions had been posted on the Commissioners website since the last meeting.

a)   Budget Report 2023/24 including MTFS

b)  Capital Strategy and Capital Programme

c)   Reserves Strategy update

d)  Treasury Management Strategy 2023/24

The Commissioner introduced his report which set out the proposed budget and precept proposals for the Police and Crime element of his portfolio for 2023/24.  He reported that the proposed budget/precept showed a total net revenue budget requirement of £242.902millionfor 2023/04.  The report also included details of the Home Office Police Grant for Staffordshire which had been set at £129.860 million, an increase of £.450 million on the previous year.  Other sources of funding were from the Police Pension Grant £1.825million; uplift ring-fenced grant £4,100 million; Council Tax freeze grant £3.541million; and Revenue Support Grant of £8.423million. 

The Commissioner was proposing to part fund the balance from Council Tax funding of £93,883,136 with an increase of 4.83% per annum (an increase of £12 per annum) increasing the Council tax to £260.57 p.a. per Band D property.

The Police Officer pay award was set nationally and the MTFS included an amount based on Home Office guidance and forecasting.  It was reported that if the settlement was higher than anticipated next year, any gap in funding would hopefully be funded by Government.

The Commissioner stated that he was confident that the proposed budget was adequate to deliver the services Staffordshire needed.  It allowed for an additional 60 Officers in 2023/34. 

Savings made during 2022/23 had been achieved and had enabled investment in technology to reduce car crime and provision of automated number plate recognition software.

The Commissioner was confident that the budget balanced what the public wanted to see in terms of value for money and improvements and also gave the Chief Constable sufficient funds to address the HMICFRS inspection report findings and invest in technology and personnel.  The Commissioners office would continue to invest in prevention; diversionary activities for young people and supporting victims.

The Panel received a presentation from the Chief Finance Officer, which was considered along with the report which included the following:

1.   Budget Report 2023/24 including MTFS

2.   Treasury Management Strategy 2023/24

3.   Reserves Strategy update

4.   Capital Strategy and Capital Programme

The Treasury Management Strategy for 2023/24 set out proposals for the management of the Commissioner’s cash flows, borrowing and investments and their associated risks.

The Reserves Strategy update paper considered the overall level of reserves held at 31 March 2022 and the forecast position at 31 March 2023 and into the medium term. 

The Capital Strategy and Capital Programme (Including Minimum Revenue Provision Policy) set out the long-term capital investment and investment decisions.

The Panel were asked to note the statement made by the Commissioner’s CFO on the robustness of the budget and adequacy of the proposed financial reserves as required by Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 as contained within section 9 of the main report.

A summary of the results of the public and stakeholder engagement survey which had been carried out by the Commissioner was included in the papers.

The Panel was reminded that the new Firearms Facility would in the main, be used by Staffordshire officers and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

The Panel received a report from its member representatives at the AGM of the National Conference for Police, Fire and Crime Panels, held on 11 November 2022.

Workshops attended as part of the National Conference had included discussions on ‘Being a critical friend’ and ‘Measuring Panel Performance’.

Resolved: That the report be noted.

Members of the Panel questioned/sought the views of the Commissioner on the following issues and received the responses indicated:

Question 1 – Would the Commissioner come to look at the parking issues outside some of the schools in Stafford?

Response: Agreed along with the Deputy Commissioner.  All members were asked to let their local police know when problems occurred.

Question 2 - The future of Stafford Police station and the Fire Station was questioned.

Response: Decisions on Estates were being made during this financial year.

Question 3 – When would the incompatibility of technology be rectified?  Reference was made to CCTV data from the District Councils which could not be downloaded by the police.

Response: This would be looked at the responded to separately.

Question 4 – When would defibrillators be on all police vehicles?

Response: The right people need to respond to medical emergencies although it was acknowledged that they were useful pieces of equipment.

Statement – It was felt that EV chargers for police cars could be prioritised in towns if the fleet were to invest in electric technology.

Statement – Thanks were offered to Speed watch.

The next meeting of the Panel would be held on 13 February 2023 to consider the Fire and Rescue Budget and Precept 2023/24.

Resolved: That the dates of future meetings be noted.