Question

I write to request copies of the following under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:

– Any correspondence relating to Drug Consumption Rooms / facilities / centres (or Overdose Prevention Rooms / facilities / centres). If it is possible to do keyword searches on “drug consumption” and “overdose prevention”, this would suffice.

For guidance, I am seeking correspondence sent or received by the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner between 1 January 2019 and today (13 January 2020).

Answer

I am writing to advise you that, following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that some of the information you requested is held by the Office of the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner. I have attached details of the relevant correspondence to this email.

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: Paul Bullen,

Chief Executive, Office of the Northamptonshire Police 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. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Attachment 1

Question

Please provide details of grants awarded in the financial years 2017-2018 and 2018-2019

• For which at least one of the outputs/outcomes was to provide services to victims of stalking. This could be any service to help victims e.g. counselling, information and advice, casework however there must be specific reference to working with victims of stalking.
• Please provide details of the grant including the amount, the service provider, the services provided and the specific stalking outcome/output.
• Please indicate with a y/n if the service is open to victims of stalking who are not ex-intimate in the table below

Answer

I am writing to advise you that, following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that some of the information you requested is held by the Office of the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

The Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has provided grant funding to the Sunflower Centre to provide services to victims of stalking. Details of their work can be found at: http://voicenorthants.org/victims/about-voice-northants/sunflower-centre/

The level of funding provided is as follows:

• £94,347 in 17/18
• £141,746 in 18/19

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: Paul Bullen,

Chief Executive, Office of the Northamptonshire Police 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. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Question

My FOI request concerns the salaries of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

1. Could you please tell me the PCC’s annual salary and whether this has remained the same since the post was created in 2012?

2. How many members of staff did your office have when it was created in November 2012, and what was the annual salary cost at that time?

3. How many members of staff does your office have as of now, January 2020, and what is the current annual salary cost?

4. How many members of staff are paid an annual salary of more than £100,000 as of now, January 2020?

5. How many members of staff has the office employed since November 2012 and what is the total salary cost of this?

Answer

I am writing to advise you that, following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that information you requested is held by the Office of the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

1. Could you please tell me the PCC’s annual salary and whether this has remained the same since the post was created in 2012?

The Review Body on Senior Salaries (RBSS) is responsible for setting the level of remuneration of PCCs. In 2012, the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner received an annual salary of £70,000

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:

• A 2% increase effective from May 2018
• A £3k extra was added for the those PCCs responsible for Fire and Rescue Services in January 2019
• A further review to undertaken in 2020/21

The current salary for the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner therefore is £74,400.

2. How many members of staff did your office have when it was created in November 2012, and what was the annual salary cost at that time?

In addition to the three Assistant Commissioners that were appointed by the Former Police and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire, six members of staff were came over from the former Police Authority along with three members of staff who were seconded from the Police Force to assist with the transition work associated with establishing the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. The total cost was £729,100 (including employment on-costs)

3. How many members of staff does your office have as of now, January 2020, and what is the current annual salary cost?

As of January 2020, the Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner employed 34 people. The annual salary cost was £1,057,285 (net of £259,593 Fire Contribution) for the Core OPFCC Office, and £504,341 (net of £18,407 Fire contribution) for the OPFCC Delivery Teams.

4. How many members of staff are paid an annual salary of more than £100,000 as of now, January 2020?

No members of staff are paid an annual salary cost of more that £100,000

5. How many members of staff has the office employed since November 2012 and what is the total salary cost of this?

Since 2012, the Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has employed 84 people. The annual salary costs were:

2012-13 – £819,100

2013-14 – £1,406,000

2014-15 – £1,407,315

2015-16 – £920,000

2016-17 – Core Office – £1,003,666

2017-18 – Core Office – £1,097,568

2018-19 – Core Office -£1,264,592– Delivery Teams – £103,548

2019-20 – Core Office – £1,057,285 (net of Fire contribution)  – Delivery Teams – £504,341 (net of Fire contribution)

The core office of Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner employs 23 people and as the PFCC is the fire authority as well as the police governance authority, staff are needed to manage that responsibility.  The Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has also taken on a greater role under the Government’s changes to the police complaints system therefore, three members of staff have been employed to deliver this important responsibility.

Ensuring that Northamptonshire Police is better funded and fighting for more resources for the Force has been a priority for the PFCC.  Through the council tax, the PFCC pledged to recruit 83 extra officers to increase the establishment of the force and now with the promise of additional Government funding, Northamptonshire Police is on course to have the largest number of officers it has ever had.  The PFCC also enabled the fire service to invest in recruitment and grow the establishment by 12 firefighters. But demand, particularly in Northamptonshire, which is one of the fastest growing counties in the country, will continue to outstrip the number of officers and it was felt important to put measures in place to turn off the tap and prevent young people becoming involved in crime or victims of crime in the first place.

For that reason, the PFCC has chosen to create and directly employ two teams to work with young people and families, rather than commission services from an outside provider. This is to ensure that they are flexible, focussed on demand and accountable for working with police and other key partners.

The Youth Team provides a detached youth service across the county, focussed on areas that have been identified because of a high level of reported anti-social behaviour and a high number of school exclusions.  The Early Intervention Team works with families and young people in difficulties at an early stage to prevent their problems from escalating.

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: Paul Bullen,

Chief Executive, Office of the Northamptonshire Police 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. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.