Decision details

The Chief Executive advised the Committee that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was carrying out consultation of the powers of the Police and Crime Commissioner.  A link to the consultation had been previously circulated to the Committee.  The Police and Crime Commissioner statutory powers were similar to those powers given to Local Authorities’ prior to 2011 i.e. specific powers set in legislation or directly incidental to powers and their functions. The Government’s view was that these powers were too restrictive.  Consultation was being undertaken on two options:

(1)  Police and Crime Commissioner to have a general power of competence (same as Local Authorities’)

(2)  Police and Crime Commissioner to have a wider functional power of competence (similar to Fire Authorities’)

He advised that the consultation would end on 27 October 2021 and that Local Authorities’ were being invited to submit a response.  He recommended that the Council’s response to the consultation was to put forward that the Police and Crime Commissioner have a wider functional power of competence as there was a need for Local Authorities to continue to work as a partner.  Other Local Authorities were also supporting this option.

RESOLVED that the response to the consultation on the powers of the Police and Crime Commissioner put forward that the Council strongly disagrees with the Police and Crime Commissioner having a general power of competence.