Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011

1. Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 Mark Norris, Senior Adviser, LGA 21 November 2011 www.local.gov.uk

2. What will be covered in the workshop • Police and Crime Panels (PCPs); • Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCS) and community safety partnerships (CSPs); • Alcohol licensing changes; and • What help and assistance do you want from the LGA?

3. Police and Crime Panels – the basics • Will be one for each force area, and will be established by the councils in that area; • Role is to both review and scrutinise the PCC’s actions and decisions, and also to assist them in the effective exercise of their functions; • They are not a police authority in another form; and • Will have a minimum of 12 members and a maximum of 20.

4. The Panel’s Powers • Require the PCC or their staff to attend the panel, and can invite the chief constable; • Require the PCC to respond in writing to any report the PCP sends to the PCC; • Suspend the PCC where he/she has been charged with an offence which carries a maximum term in prison of more than two years; • Appoint an acting PCC; and • Veto the PCC’s precept or choice of chief constable.

5. The Panel also has to… • Be given any information it reasonably requires to carry out its functions; • Review the draft police and crime plan; • Review the PCC’s annual report and hold a public meeting to question the PCC about it; • Review the PCC’s chief constable and senior staff appointments and hold public confirmation hearings for them; • Review the PCC’s precept; and • Resolve non-criminal complaints against the PCC.

6. An effective panel • Active or reactive scrutiny? • Use of panel members and sub-committees/task and finish groups? • Levels of support and training? • Which members serve on the panel? • Relationship with local crime and disorder scrutiny committees? • Protocol with the PCC?

7. Questions?

8. Police and Crime Commissioners - Community Safety Police and Crime Panel Scrutinise Police and Crime Commissioner Community Safety Partnerships Duty to have regard to each other’s priorities 1 Power to call CSP chairs to a meeting to discuss force-wide issues 2 Power to request a report 3 Power to approve Request merger 4 5 Grant making powers

9. Commissioning community safety activity • 2011-12 – 20% reduction in Community Safety Fund, paid to unitaries and counties. • 2012-13 – further 40% reduction, paid to unitaries and counties. • 15 November 2012 – election day. • 1 April 2013 – all Community Safety grant funding paid to PCC (happened from 1 April 2011 in London) – to be confirmed.

10. What might be different? • PCCs may choose to commission ALL CS services – or just focus on policing. Ringfencing undecided but likely to be removed (e.g. DIP – though H&WBB DIP monies may continue to be ring-fenced). • If so, services will need to be evidenced for delivery and quality – evaluations must be of a high standard. • You may be in competition with third/private sector providers. Is it worth competing, or do you withdraw from delivering some services? • If you do compete, do you need to merge services for efficiency across boundaries? • Can you create a single commissioning framework across the force area to realise efficiencies?

11. Preparing your CSP for PCCs • Bring partners and CSPs together across the force area to discuss impact • Review current partnership arrangements – can they be simplified/made more efficient? • Consider current partnership priorities, and the potential involvement and interests of the PCC • Think about how the PCC can easily access partnerships • Evaluate and assess for VfM all activity; consider what the PCC might wish to see • Consider joint commissioning across areas, partners, services • Work with Scrutiny officials to consider how the Panel may link with local O&S committees and might be serviced. • Considering the way in which PCCs can deliver better outcomes for local people. Working with other partners to develop the right solutions to local issues in a new and co-ordinated way.

12. Questions?

13. Licensing changes The Act: • Provides for councils to set licensing fees; • Repeals alcohol disorder zones and replaces them with a Late Night Levy; • Extends the length of time Early Morning Restriction Orders can last, so councils can set times between midnight and 6am when alcohol may not be served;

14. Licensing changes part II The Act also: • Increases the fine for persistently selling alcohol to children; • Removes the vicinity test and allows ‘appropriate’ rather than ‘necessary’ conditions to be imposed; • Makes licensing authorities, PCTs and Local Health Boards responsible authorities; and • Allows councils to publish its licensing policy every 5 years, not every 3 years.

15. Questions?

16. Questions for small group discussions • How advanced are your own authority’s preparations for PCCs? • What messages would you like the LGA to feedback to the Home Office? • What support would you like from the LGA over the next year to help prepare for PCCs? • Are there any other issues, concerns and questions that you want to address?

17. Mark Norris - PCPsmark.norris@local.gov.uk020 7664 3241Chris Williams - CSPschris.williams3@local.gov.uk020 7664 3292Gwyneth Rogers – Licensinggwyneth.rogers@local.gov.uk020 7664 3861