Hampshire County Council

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Meeting

Name: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Panel (Statutory Joint Committee)
Start: 2024-07-31T09:30:00Z
End: 2024-07-31T13:30:00Z
Location: Mitchell Room - HCC

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Panel (Statutory Joint Committee) - Hampshire

Agenda

Published

Minutes

Published

Meeting Times

Scheduled Time

Start:
Wednesday, 31st July 2024
10:30 AM

End:
Wednesday, 31st July 2024
2:30 PM

Meeting Status

Status:
Moved; Confirmation Hearing for Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner

Date:
31 Jul 2024

Location:
Mitchell Room - HCC

Meeting Attendees

Deputy

Councillor Halleh Koohestani

Rushmoor Borough Council

Not required

Committee Member

Councillor Stephen Hammond

Gosport Borough Council

Apologies

Committee Member

Councillor Christie Lambert

Southampton City Council

Absent

Committee Member

Councillor Alan Oliver

Hart District Council

Apologies

Committee Member

Councillor Dan Poole

New Forest District Council

Apologies

Committee Member

Councillor Becky Williams

Rushmoor Borough Council

Apologies

Co-opted Member

Trevor Cartwright MBE

Independent Co-opted Member

Present, as expected

Co-opted Member

Shirley Young

Independent Co-opted Member

Apologies

Committee Member

Councillor Vivian Achwal

Winchester City Council

Present, as expected

Deputy

Councillor Steve Clarke

New Forest District Council

Not required

Committee Member

Councillor Philip Lashbrook

Test Valley Borough Council

Apologies

Deputy

Councillor Cynthia Garton

Eastleigh Borough Council

Not required

Deputy

Councillor Tom Hanrahan

East Hampshire District Council

Not required

Deputy

Councillor Gillian Harris MBE

Havant Borough Council

Not required

Deputy

Councillor Ian Holder

Portsmouth City Council

Not required

Deputy

Councillor Tony Jessop

Gosport Borough Council

Not required

Deputy

Councillor Peter Latham

Conservative

Not required

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Deputy

Councillor Stuart Bailey

Liberal Democrat

Not required

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Deputy

Councillor Simon Martin

Fareham Borough Council

Not required

Co-opted Deputy

Councillor David Podger

Additional Local Authority Co-opted Member

Absent

Deputy

Councillor Ian Ward

Isle of Wight Council

Not required

Committee Member

Councillor Richard Adair

Portsmouth City Council

Absent

Committee Member

Councillor Richard Brown

Havant Borough Council

Present, as expected

Committee Member

Councillor Tonia Craig

Liberal Democrat

Present, as expected

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Committee Member

Councillor Phillip Davies

East Hampshire District Council

Apologies

Committee Member

Councillor John McKay

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Apologies

Committee Member

Councillor Lesley Meenaghan

Conservative

Apologies

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Deputy

Councillor Paul Basham

Basingstoke and Deane Brough Council

Not required

Committee Member

Borough Councillor

Councillor Joanne Burton

Conservative

Apologies

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Deputy

Councillor Jonathan Williams

Liberal Democrat

Not required

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Co-opted Member

Councillor Simon Minas-Bound

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Present, as expected

Committee Member

Councillor Gwen Robinson

Havant Borough Counci

Apologies

Chairman

Councillor Karen Lucioni

Isle of Wight Council

Present, as expected

Co-opted Member

Councillor Luigi Gregori

Additional Local Authority Co-opted Member

Apologies

Agenda

1 Apologies for Absence

Minutes Apologies were received from:

· Cllr Joanne Burton – Fareham Borough Council

· Cllr Phillip Davies - East Hampshire District Council

· Cllr Luigi Gregori - Local Authority Co-opted Member

· Cllr Steven Hammond – Gosport Borough Council

· Cllr Alan Oliver - Hart District Council

· Cllr Phillip Lashbrook - Test Valley Borough Council

· Cllr John McKay - Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

· Cllr Lesley Meenaghan - Hampshire County Council

· Cllr Dan Poole - New Forest District Council

· Cllr Gwen Robinson - Local Authority Co-opted Member

· Cllr Becky Williams – Rushmoor Borough Council

· Shirley Young – Independent Co-opted Member

2 Declarations of Interest

To enable Members to declare to the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest they may have in any matter on the agenda for the meeting, where that interest is not already entered in their appointing authority’s register of interests, and any other pecuniary or personal interests in any such matter that Members may wish to consider disclosing.

Minutes Members were able to disclose to the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest they may have in any matter on the agenda for the meeting, where that interest is not already entered in their appointing authority’s register of interests, and any other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests in any such matter that Members may wish to disclose.

No declarations were made.

3 Minutes of the Previous Meeting

To confirm the minutes from the previous meeting.

Attachments:

Document 2024-03-11 Minutes Police and Crime Panel CFO Confirmation Hearing 23 Jul 2024

Minutes The Minutes of the previous confirmation hearing for the role of Chief Finance Officer, held on 11 March 2024, were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

4 Questions and Deputations

To receive any questions or deputations in line with Rule 31 and 31A of the Panel’s Rules of Procedure.

Minutes No questions or deputations were received by the Panel on this occasion.

5 Confirmation Hearing for the Appointment to the Role of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner

Following notification from the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner of her intention to appoint the preferred candidate, Mr Terry Norton, to the role of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, for the Hampshire Police and Crime Panel to hold a Confirmation Hearing in accordance with Schedule 1 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.

Attachments:

Document Confirmation Hearing Deputy PCC Explanatory Report 23 Jul 2024
Document DPCC Confirmation Hearing Report 31st July 2024 23 Jul 2024
Document APPENDIX A DPCC Role Profile 31st July 2024 23 Jul 2024
Document APPENDIX B DPCC Disqualification Criteria 23 Jul 2024
Document APPENDIX C Terry Robin Norton CV July 2024 23 Jul 2024
Document Police and Crime Panel Confirmation Hearing Deputy PCC report 14 Aug 2024

Minutes Following notification from the Commissioner to the Panel of her intention to appoint a preferred candidate, Mr Terry Norton, to the role of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (DPCC), the Panel held a Confirmation Hearing in accordance with Schedule 1 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.

Members received a report setting out the powers of the Panel and the process to be followed in the Confirmation Hearing, as per the agreed ‘Confirmation Hearing protocol’.

The Panel noted the information provided by the Commissioner relating to the appointment of the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, which included:

· A report from the OPCC stating why the preferred candidate meets the requirements of the role

· DPCC Role Profile

· DPCC Disqualification Criteria

· Candidate’s CV

The Commissioner noted that appointing a Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner was considered best practice. The Commissioner highlighted how the appointment of a DPCC enhanced and increased visibility at a wide range of community meetings, including those of the local town and parish councils. Members heard that the Commissioner and the candidate had formed a successful partnership during the previous term and had built a strong foundation of trust and therefore the Commissioner was pleased to present Mr Norton as the preferred candidate for the role of DPCC until May 2028.

The candidate was invited by the Chairman to introduce himself, providing an overview of his past experience relevant to the role.

The Panel then asked questions of the candidate which related to his professional competence and personal independence, the answers to which enabled Members to evaluate Mr Norton’s suitability for the role.

At the end of questioning, the Chairman thanked the candidate and provided an opportunity to clarify any responses given.

6 Exclusion of the Press and Public

To resolve that the public be excluded from the meeting during the following item of business, as it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during that item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information within Paragraph 3 of Part I Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, being information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding the information) and, further, that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

While there may be a public interest in disclosing this information, namely openness in the deliberations of the Panel in determining its recommendation regarding the proposed appointment, it is felt that, on balance, this is outweighed by other factors in favour of maintaining the exemption, namely enabling a full discussion regarding the merits of the proposed appointment.

Minutes The press and public were excluded from the meeting during the following item of business, as it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during that item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information within Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972,being information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding the information) and, further, that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. While there may have been a public interest in disclosing this information, namely openness in the deliberations of the Panel in determining its recommendation regarding the proposed appointment, it was felt that, on balance, this was outweighed by other factors in favour of maintaining the exemption, namely enabling a full discussion regarding the merits of the proposed appointment.

7 Closed Session to Discuss the Proposed Appointment to the Role of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner

Following notification from the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner of her intention to appoint to the role of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, for the Hampshire Police and Crime Panel to hold a closed session to agree its recommendations.

Minutes The Panel held exempt discussions which examined the evidence provided in the Confirmation Hearing session. The final reports of the Panel are appended to these minutes.

The Panel observed:

· Given the level of demand on the Commissioner’s time and the noted improvement in the visibility of the Commissioner following the previous appointment of Mr Norton to the role of DPCC in April 2022, Members agreed unanimously that there was clearly an identified need for a DPCC to support the Commissioner in the effective delivery of her role.

· The DPCC’s salary was set by the Commissioner, consistent with adopted practise across the Country, at 75% of the PCC’s salary.

· The Commissioner felt the candidate had performed well in the position during the previous term, finding that Mr Norton’s skillset had complimented hers well, enabling them to be an effective team. Further, the Commissioner explained that she had selected the candidate on the basis of trust and confidence in his ability to perform well in the role and support her in the effective delivery of her responsibilities.

· Mr Norton had made a considerable impact on the delivery of services to young people and the engagement with young people across the two Counties during the previous term. His work in seeking the views of young people on policing had been recognised nationally, with other Commissioners and their offices seeking support from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) to learn from the best practice shown in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

· The candidate expressed a clear vision for every young person to have a positive engagement with the Police during their childhood and an intention to reach out and engage with schools to support this vision if appointed.

· The Commissioner expected the DPCC role to be performed with an a-political approach, but on occasions where the DPCC would be required to talk on behalf of the PCC, was assured that the candidate would be able to confidently express her views, which was of particular importance in managing case work and attending community meetings.

· The candidate was clear that his role, if successful, would be to represent the Commissioner and that any views expressed, or approaches taken would be in accordance with those of the Commissioner and the aspirations of the Police and Crime Plan, although felt comfortable to challenge and express his views with the PCC when appropriate.

· The candidate was keen to enhance the visibility of the Commissioner and her work, as well as promoting the role of Hampshire Constabulary, and was confident in engaging with residents and partner organisations.

· The Commissioner was clear that she could not effectively deliver her role and attend all the meetings she was invited to. but needed a presence and a voice within partnership meetings, which demonstrated the DPCC’s availability to attend these meetings was key, allowing the PCC to act as a conduit for sharing best practice in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight at a national level.

· During the previous 12 months the candidate had taken a lead on engagement with Health partners and engaging them in trauma informed practices. It was also heard that he had worked with Community Safety Partnerships (CSP) to ensure they were correctly structured and meeting regularly and had engaged with portfolio leads within authorities. As a result the candidate felt that the quality of the CSP and engagement with elected members around the role of CSPs had improved significantly.

· In meeting with residents, Mr Norton had gained a significant understanding of the disparity between the perception of safety and actual levels of crime within local communities. The DPCC had applied a focus, during the last term, on enhancing resident perception of the role of policing and the levels and breadth of criminal activity addressed by the force.

· The candidate was keen to engage with the Panel and the Panel would welcome his engagement around areas of interest to the Panel, as suggested by the candidate, if appointed.

· Members felt that the candidate had the capability to undertake the role and met the minimum standards of professional competence and personal independence required of an appointed deputy to the Police and Crime Commissioner.

It was noted that the answers given by the candidate were not always well structured and did not fully respond to the question posed in a number of incidences. As a result, the Panel expressed some reservations about the candidate proposed, for which Members agreed to seek reassurance through the following recommendations to the Commissioner relating to the proposed appointment:

a) That the candidate, if appointed, agrees with the Commissioner an approved training plan which will enable the candidate to improve his understanding of the Public Sector Equality Duty and Public Sector Finance Requirements, to enable greater continuity and resilience, during any absence of the PCC.

b) In this regard, the Panel would encourage the Commissioner to continue her approach to act as a mentor to the candidate in developing his understanding of the financial arrangements of the OPCC.

c) That the Commissioner, under her announcements, reports back to the Panel at its next meeting on the agreed training plan for the DPCC role.

d) That the Commissioner notes the Panel’s wish to engage with the DPCC, and would encourage the Commissioner to allow the DPCC to represent her at an appropriate meeting of the Panel in the future, to allow the Panel to observe the DPCC’s ability to represent the PCC at formal meetings.

On the basis of the information provided by the Commissioner, and the discussions held during the Confirmation Hearing, a vote was held on the recommendation, as proposed within report of the Police and Crime Commissioner. The Panel voted unanimously in favour of the proposed recommendation.

RESOLVED:

That the proposed candidate, Mr Terry Norton, is recommended to be appointed to the position of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner.

Previous Meetings

10th Mar 2025