Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies from Members of the Panel.

Apologies were received from Councillor Clare Golby and Councillor Dave Humphreys. Councillor Sue Markham and Councillor Marian Humphreys were present as substitutes. Apologies were also received from Councillor Barbara Brown and Councillor John Holland.

Members are required to register their disclosable pecuniary interests within 28 days of their election of appointment to the Council. ?Any changes to matters registered or new matters that require to be registered must be notified to the Monitoring Officer as soon as practicable after they arise.

A member attending a meeting where a matter arises in which they have a disclosable pecuniary interest must (unless ?they have a dispensation):

•        Declare the interest if ?they have not already registered it

•        Not participate in any discussion or vote

•        Leave the meeting room until the matter has been dealt with

•        Give written notice of any unregistered interest to the Monitoring Officer within 28 days of the meeting

Non-pecuniary interests relevant to the agenda should be declared at the commencement of the meeting.

The public reports referred to are available on the Warwickshire Web https://democracy.warwickshire.gov.uk/uuCoverPage.aspx?bcr=1

There were none.

To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 27 January 2022.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 27 January 2022 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

There was none.

To consider the Police and Crime Commissioner’s revised precept and make a second report to the Commissioner by 22 February 2022.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) introduced his revised budget and precept increase of £9.75 for a Band D property in the 2022/23 financial year. He expressed disappointment that the Panel had resolved to veto his original proposal. However, he acknowledged the Panel’s democratic right to do so.

The Commissioner acknowledged the Panel’s concerns regarding affordability; these had been taken into consideration when producing the revised budget. However, he stated that it was important to ensure that the Chief Constable was provided with adequate resources to deliver effective and efficient policing. He advised that the original budget, and the revised iteration, had been determined followed detailed discussions with the Chief Constable.

The Commissioner highlighted the benefits enabled by the budget. He stated that a balanced budget had been produced which supported improvements to services whilst recognising the financial pressures faced by householders. He would enact measures to secure value for money.

The Commissioner highlighted the challenging backdrop to setting of the budget; the Force had been substantially rebuilt following termination of the Alliance, ICT infrastructure had been extensively upgraded. The budget sought to consolidate on the progress made, ensuring that the Force was fit for the future.

The Commissioner reported that the Force had delivered savings of £4.8m in 2021/22. This was a substantial undertaking which had enabled a balanced budget to be set for 2022/23 which included a further £0.2m of savings. A further savings requirement of £3m over the next three years was indicated by the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP); the Chief Constable would undertake a review of the operating model to provide options to meet the budget gap.

The Commissioner advised that, since the Panel’s meeting on 27 January 2022, final figures had been received from borough and district councils outlining surpluses on the council tax collection fund and details of the council tax base. He stated that earlier projections from billing authorities had proved to be inaccurate; there was an additional £424,000 to add to the budget for 2022/23. He stated that, in future, borough and district councils would be asked to provide more accurate estimates as early as possible.

The Commissioner stated that the extra money was welcomed, but it did not change the requirements set out within the originally proposed budget. However, there was scope to reduce the amount expected from individual taxpayers towards service improvements. He advised that the reduced precept increase of £9.75 for a Band D property equated to a rise of 3.85%. This was among the lowest rates nationally for policing.

The Commissioner provided a summary of the anticipated additional benefits facilitated by the budget. He advised that some of the extra money from the improved funding position would be utilised to appoint five additional Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), with an aspiration to deploy them at urban locations in support of the ‘Safer Streets’ initiative. He advised that an additional £50,000 would be diverted to the PCC Grant Scheme to support victim services. A new Green Fund would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

To note the arrangements for future meetings:

·       7 April 2022 (at North Warwickshire Borough Council, 2.00pm)

·       23 June 2022 (2.00pm, venue to be advised)

·       22 September 2022 (2.00pm, venue to be advised)

·       17 November 2022 (2.00pm, venue to be advised)

·       6 February 2023 (2.00pm, Shire Hall, Warwick)

·       6 April 2023 (2.00pm, venue to be advised)

Future meeting dates were noted.

At the discretion of the Chair, items may be raised which are considered urgent (please notify Democratic Services in advance of the meeting).

There were none.

The meeting rose at 15:26.