Agenda item

Mark Norris, Principal Policy Advisor, introduced the paper which provides an update on the LGA’s lobbying around the Policing and Crime Bill and set out the proposed steps by the LGA to respond to the issues identified in the Home Secretary’s speech.

The Bill has completed its passage through the House of Commons and its next stage will be in the House of Lords. The original timetable for the Bill has slipped and may not be completed this year. A briefing will be circulated to peers ahead of the debate and the LGA is already making contact with interested members of the Lords to discuss laying amendments along similar lines to those in the Commons.

The LGA is engaging with the group APACE formed, which includes CFOA, to develop a model business case. The paper proposes to establish a cross party group to engage with the Home Office around some of the issues in the Bill.

There was a discussion during which members made a number of comments:

·         Qualitative data should also play a role when drawing comparisons between different services.

·         FRAs must start and have an agreed way of collecting data on preventative work.

·         The lobbying around the Bill should reflect that the conversation has moved on and the Home Secretary has clarified some areas. The LGA should seek to lay amendments which set out the vision for the service.

·         Comparisons between FRAs on performance should be treated with caution because the risk profile differs across the country.

·         There is knowledge within the Committee which should be shared with the Home Office.

·         Information provided and published should be what the public want and expect of the service.

·         There will be some similarities within the service, for example in how category 1 events are classified.

·         PCCs will put forward most robust business cases if they know they will be subject to independent review.

·         There was a clear message from the Home Office that while there was a role for the NJC they were looking for it to be reformed, and this could be done by making the employees side more representative, and with there being more open dialogue.

·         The cross party group that will engage with the Home Office must report back regularly to the whole Committee.

·         There needs to be a narrative around the legislation on what work is being done with health and ambulance, need the Lords to see these benefits and describe them.

·         There will be understandable differences in response times between metropolitan and rural services.

·         There needs to be some pragmatism around the duty to collaborate so it doesn’t become a tick box exercise.

Dan Greaves, Director of Fire & Resilience at the Home Office responded to members comments:

·         The Home Secretary wants more transparent information and there will be public engagement on this.

·         The Home Office is keen to engage around independent assessment and the business case.

·         The Home Office will publish a basket of data over the summer and it will be reviewed to look for any behaviour change.

Decision:

The Committee noted the lobbying around the Bill to date and agree to continue to seek to amend the Bill going forward. The Committee agreed to engage with the APACE group working on the design of a model business case and nominated the following members to engage with the Home Office around the issues set out in paragraphs 5, 12 and 17 in the report:

Con: Cllrs Knox and Chard

Lab: Cllrs Acton and Edwards

LD: Cllr Hilton

Ind: Cllr Phil Howson

Action:

Officers to progress in line with members comments.