Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies from Members of the Panel

Apologies were received from Councillors Fradgley and Davison.

Councillor Watkins declared that he knew the candidate as she had previously worked at Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council.

The Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner introduced the report. He stated that the role of Chief Finance Officer was vital as he needed expert advice on budgeting so that he was able to ask the right questions of the Chief Constable and ensure that Warwickshire Police were delivering an efficient service. He stated that Sara Ansell, his preferred candidate, had previously acted as the Section 151 Officer for Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council before serving as the Deputy Chief Finance Officer for the Warwickshire and West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioners for the last 2 years. The Commissioner felt this experience of working within the strategic alliance would be invaluable in in the coming months as the separation of the Forces was finalised and Warwickshire was reconstituted as an independent force.

The Chair thanked the Commissioner for his report and asked him and the Chief Executive to leave the room so that the Panel could question Sara Ansell.

Councillor Whalley-Hoggins asked what strengths and experience Sara Ansell had that made her the right person for the job.

Sara Ansell responded that she had worked in a number of local councils in Warwickshire serving as deputy Section 151 Officer in Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council for 5 years including acting as Section 151 Officer for a year. She had helped steer the Council through budget setting at a challenging time as local government budgets reduced as demand increased and had helped to find innovative ways to drive efficiency and savings. She had also worked for two and a half years for the Police and Crime Commissioner and she had learned a lot about policing in general and the Strategic Alliance in particular. She felt that she was a good communicator and able build new relationships effectively, skills that would be essential in the coming months as Warwickshire established its self as an independent force and forged new partnerships.

Councillor Whalley-Hoggins asked how Sara Ansell would act if she witnessed unethical or unbecoming behaviour in her role as the Section 151 officer.

Sara Ansell responded that in the first instance she would try and address issues with an upfront conversation with the individual involved. If the inappropriate behaviour involved finances she would have a statutory duty to deal with it and could do this through raising issues with internal and external audit. She would also raise any ethical concerns with the Monitoring Officer.

Councillor Poole stated that the break-up of the Alliance brought with it new challenges and uncertainties. He asked Sara Ansell what she envisaged would be the biggest challenges facing her in her new role and how she planned to approach these challenges.

Sara Ansell responded that the most immediate challenge was to ensure a smooth transition out of the alliance which she had been working towards over the last 12 months. It was vital that front line services were able to stand up from October and then gradually build up back office services including new internal audit arrangements which had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.