Question
How many times did the PCC/Mayor write directly to the former Prime Minister Rt Hon Theresa May MP during her time in office both as prime minister and Home Secretary for the following reasons:
A: Raising concerns that budget cuts were having a detrimental effect on policing
B: Requested more money? How much was requested how much was given ( if any)
C: Raised concerns that budget cuts were putting officers at risk
Answer
Further to your email, I can confirm that you information you have requested is not held by the Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has not written directly to the former Prime Minister Rt Hon Theresa May MP during her time in office both as Prime Minister and Home Secretary in relation to policing funding for Northamptonshire.
The PFCC however has raised these matters directly with Government Ministers both in writing and in formal meetings and has received the support of the County’s Police, Fire and Crime Panel in his lobbying of government to recognise the inequities in the current funding formula model and how Northamptonshire does not receive a fair settlement in comparison to other forces.
The PFCC’s Annual Report also sets out the work being undertaken to address the funding issues with Northamptonshire Police. Page 32 sets out the following:
“Whilst I am pleased I have been able to invest extra funding into frontline policing, I am still concerned that the current policing funding formula is inherently unfair and penalises forces such as ours. I have continued to lobby central government to recognise the impact of the current model has on our ability to deliver effective policing across our county. Whilst understanding the range of challenges facing the Government, I remain confident that any future funding model will be more equitable and recognise the challenges facing modern policing”
A copy of the Annual Report can be downloaded here and the 2019-20 Budget can be downloaded here
Question
1) Who is the overseer of the PFCC, is this the Police, Fire and Crime panel?
2) Is there a government body responsible for the PFCC?
3) What is the salary of the PFCC, did this increase upon adding the fire service to this office?
4) What was the date that the role was changed to include fire?
5) Why does the official website use org.uk instead of gov.uk?
According to government guidelines (published by the Cabinet Office Government Digital Service), Office of Police Fire and Crime Commissioners should format their domains as “county-pfcc.gov.uk”, so that would be www.northamptonshire-pfcc.gov.uk
The official site is also hosted in Germany which would explain why the website can sometimes take an extended period of time to load, again this is also against gov guidelines.
Answer
Following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is held by the Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
The Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel is the body charged with holding the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and its specific responsibilities are set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.
No. PCCs/PFCCs are independent corporate souls elected every four years to undertake the responsibilities of the role as set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 and the Policing Protocol Order 2011.
The Review Body on Senior Salaries (RBSS) is responsible for setting the level of remuneration of PCCs. From May 2019, RBSS recommended that PCC salaries should be increased by 2 per cent, in line with the pay award for local authority staff. Pay increases, linked to the pay award for local authority staff, should continue annually until the next formal review of PCC pay.
Ultimately these recommendations were not accepted by the Government, however Ministers did agree the following:
The current salary for the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner therefore is £74,400.
1st January 2019 as set out in the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire (Fire and Rescue Authority) Order 2018.
The original website domain was registered by the former Police Authority before the election of the first Police and Crime Commissioner back in November 2012. Whilst the Government Digital Service does publish guidance for organisations who wish to register a .gov.uk domain, there is no legal requirement for OPCCs/OFPCCs to apply to the Naming and Approvals Committee to request one. There are a number of various website domains currently being used by OPCCs from across the Country including:
With regard to the hosting of the PFCC’s website, I can confirm that the website is hosted in Nottingham, not Germany.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original letter and should be addressed to: Nicci Marzec, Monitoring Officer, Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, East House, Force Headquarters, Wootton Hall, Northampton, NN4 0JQ
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications. If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.