The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. 

Apologies for absence were noted as above.

None.

To determine whether there are any additional items of business which by reason of special circumstances the Chair is of the opinion should be considered at the meeting; the reason(s) for such urgency to be stated.

None. 

To identify items where resolutions may be moved to exclude the public and press.  (For items marked * the public and press may be excluded from the meeting).

None.

None.

The Panel’s Rules of Procedure and the procedure for asking questions of the Commissioner and the Panel is available at: https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/sypcp

If any member of the public wishes to ask a question of the Police and Crime Commissioner at the meeting, they should be submitted in writing at least 5 working days before the meeting and be no more than 100 words in length.  They must not relate to an individual case, and must not repeat, or substantially repeat, any question that has been asked and answered at a meeting of the Panel meeting in the six months preceding the date of the meeting.

Questions should be submitted to Andrew Shirt, Council Governance Officer (Host Authority for the Police and Crime Panel) by email – andrewshirt@barnsley.gov.uk

There were no questions to the Police and Crime Commissioner.

If any member of the public wishes to ask a question of the Police and Crime Panel at the meeting, they should be submitted in writing at least 5 working days before the meeting and be no more than 100 words in length.

They must not relate to an individual case, and must not repeat, or substantially repeat, any question that has been asked and answered at a meeting of the Panel meeting in the six months preceding the date of the meeting.

Questions should be submitted to Andrew Shirt, Council Governance Officer (Host Authority for the Police and Crime Panel) by email – andrewshirt@barnsley.gov.uk

There were no questions to the Police and Crime Panel.

Matters Arising / Action Log

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Annual Police and Crime Panel meeting held on 12 June 2023 be agreed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

A report was submitted to inform Members that the Commissioner (PCC) is supported by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) in delivering his Police and Crime Plan, and in effectively discharging his wide range of legal responsibilities.  The OPCC has a Delivery Plan which outlines how this is undertaken each year.

The report provided Members with an update on key PCC activities and decisions, and the key OPCC activities against the OPCC’s Delivery Plan since the Delivery Plan was approved by the PCC at his Public Accountability Board held on 4 May 2023.  The Delivery Plan was also presented to the Panel’s last meeting on 12 June 2023. 

The following key points were noted:-

·            The PCC’s Strategic and Financial Planning Timetable for the next financial year (2024/25) had now been agreed.

·            The PCC’s Planning and Efficiency Group (PEG) would oversee the OPCC’s and Force’s products that are brought forward as part of the Timetable to assist the PCC in his planning decisions and setting of the budget for the next financial year.

·            The planning cycle would be different, due to the OPCC preparing for a transfer of PCC functions to the Combined Authority Mayor in May 2024.

·            The planning products being prepared by the OPCC with the Force would inform a new Mayor’s first Police and Crime Plan and Combined Authority Delivery Plan.

·            The OPCC had been heavily involved in assurance activity to assure the PCC that the Force’s Savings and Efficiency Plan and their programme of Priority Based Budgeting (PBB) was progressing to plan.

·            Work was taking place to refresh the Police and Partners Performance Framework. 

·            A detailed update was provided within the report to highlight the scrutiny activity which is taking place across the partnership landscape to support the PCC and his holding the Force to account.

·            Via successful external funding bids, £719,000 of additional income had been received so far in 2023/24.

·            The OPCC’s Community Engagement and Communications Team had devised, organised and promoted a series of engagement events on rural crime issues which had attracted over 250 residents to attend.

The Panel congratulated the PCC and the OPCC’s Partnerships and Commissioning Team for securing additional income amounting to £719,000 to support the communities of South Yorkshire.

S Abbott reported that the OPCC had also been successful in securing £1.5m of income through the Safer Streets Fund and £1.05m for tackling Anti-Social Behaviour.

Councillor Davison asked whose responsibility it was for keeping Looked After children and young people safe.

The PCC responded that it was everyone’s responsibility as corporate parents to report and spot issues, which included the local authority, the police, social workers and school teachers.

Mr Carratt asked if there were any strategic priorities or areas of work, which the Force or OPCC are currently planning that would best be deferred until after the transfer of PCC functions had taken place.

In response, M Buttery said that the OPCC was currently having detailed conversations with Combined Authority  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The PCC introduced his draft Annual Report for the municipal year 2022/23.  He informed the Panel that this would be the last introduction he would write as PCC, due his current term of office ending in May 2024 and due to him not seeking re-election.

The PCC said that he was therefore in a unique position to not only look back at just one year, but also over almost ten years since he was first elected as PCC in 2014. 

For the benefit of new Panel Members, the PCC provided an overview of the remarkable journey that South Yorkshire Police had been on since 2014 to 2022.

The Panel noted that, in 2022/23 the PCC had kept the same three overarching priorities for the Police and Crime Plan, and these would remain in place for the rest of his term.  The PCC had asked the Force to concentrate on:

·     Protecting vulnerable people

·     Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour

·     Treating people fairly

Members were asked to provide the PCC with the Panel’s report (or recommendations) on the Annual Report by 28 July 2023.

J Griffin thanked the PCC for his report and asked if the use of language around references to Women and Girls on page 3 of the report could be changed as follows:

·            Phrases that show belonging and ownership by the Women and Girls, for example, ‘with’ or ‘alongside’ and not ‘to Women and Girls’.

·            References to Women and Girls as ‘females’ should not be used.  For example, on the second paragraph, second sentence starting ‘The recruitment process’ mentions ‘a greater percentage of females’.  The wording should be changed to ‘female candidates’ and not simply ‘females’. 

Referring to the ‘Protecting Vulnerable People’ section of the report (page 11, bullet point 4), J Griffin asked the PCC to consider changing the use of the word ‘only’ in ‘only reported during 2022’, which she felt places the blame on the victim.  It was suggested that wording be replaced with ‘felt able to report’ or ‘were enabled to report’. 

The Commissioner thanked J Griffin for the comments, which he felt could be accepted without any difficulty. 

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel:-

i)           Received and commented on the PCC’s draft Annual Report, attached at Appendix A.

ii)          Noted the fact that there was a minority of data still to be confirmed once final data is published by the Office for National Statistics on 20 July 2023 (currently highlighted in red text in the draft report).

iii)         Noted that the report is a narrative only draft.  The format would be changed in the final published version to more engaging public facing style.

iv)        Agreed to provide the PCC with the Panel’s response report (or recommendations) on the Annual Report by 28 July 2023.

A report was submitted to update Members on current events – national, regional and local, together with future plans in respect of learning and development for the Panel.

Suggestions for any other learning and development opportunities Members may have to support the Panel’s learning and development were welcomed.

A summary of events which had taken place since the last meeting together with details of proposed future events were set out within the report for Members’ information.

Councillor Davison reported that Panel Members had previously visited the Sexual Abuse and Referral Centre (SARC).  He suggested that it may be useful for new Panel Members to also visit the SARC.

A Shirt agreed to make arrangements with the OPCC for Panel Members to visit the SARC.

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel:-

i)           Noted the update.

ii)          Agreed to provide suggestions for future learning and development.

iii)         Noted that arrangements would be made in due course for Panel Members to visit the SARC.

Members considered the 2023/24 work programme and were reminded that they could submit issues for the Work Programme that fall within the Panel’s Statutory role in supporting and scrutinising the Commissioner. 

All issues would be given full consideration by the Chair. Vice-Chair and Commissioner at the pre-agenda planning meetings.

Additionally, Members were encouraged to attend the meetings of the Commissioner’s Public Accountability Board (PAB) to increase their operational knowledge of how the PCC holds the Chief Constable to account. 

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel noted the contents of the 2023/24 Work Programme.

RESOLVED – That the next meeting of the Police and Crime Panel be held on Monday 25 September 2023, at 1:00 pm in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, Church Street, Barnsley.