Agenda item

Please note that although it will seek to avoid doing so, the Panel may need to move into exempt session when considering part of the report. If that is the case the following motion will be moved:

‘That the press and public be excluded from the meeting as it is likely that exempt information relating to any individual will be disclosed and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.’

The Panel was asked to consider the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC’s) preferred candidate, Councillor Marc Bayliss, for the role of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (DPCC) for West Mercia.

In doing so, the Panel was required to satisfy itself that the preferred candidate selected by the PCC had the competence to undertake the role.

The PCC introduced the report which provided an overview of the appointment process that was undertaken to select the preferred candidate.

The PCC must under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (Act) notify the Panel of the preferred candidate for appointment as DPCC.  As per Schedule 1 of the Act the PCC provided the following information to the Panel:

1.               The name of the person whom the PCC was proposing to appoint;

2.               The criteria used to assess the suitability of the candidate and how the candidate satisfied the criteria; and

3.               The terms and conditions on which the candidate was to be appointed.

Also provided for the Panel’s consideration were the details relating to:

1.             The recruitment, application and interview process;

2.             The candidate recruitment pack including the job and person specification;

3.             stakeholder Panel questions

4.             PCC Interview Questions

5.             Scoring criteria

6.             CV/covering letter of the preferred candidate.

During the discussion and opportunity for questions, the following main points were discussed:

·       Given that Cllr Bayliss had other political responsibilities and business commitments, a Member questioned whether he would have sufficient time to devote to the role of DPCC.  Cllr Bayliss confirmed that if he was to be confirmed in the role of DPCC he would be standing down as Leader of Worcester City Council to free up capacity.

·       Cllr Bayliss’ experience of policing stemmed from his role as local councillor for the last 21 years, the skills for which he believed were transferrable to that of DPCC.

·       The PCC explained that a total of 9 applications had been received across two rounds of the recruitment process.

·       The PCC and Cllr Bayliss had known each other in a professional capacity for approximately 18 years.

·       Cllr Bayliss  intended to build relationships by following on from his predecessor and meeting with the residents across the West Mercia area as soon as possible.

·       Although Cllr Bayliss had not held a community safety portfolio, he had as Leader of Worcester City Council had frequent involvement with community safety matters and regularly engaged with the local Police Force.

·       Cllr Baylis explained that the interview process had been taxing, pressing and robust. As part of the process he had familiarised himself with the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan, looked at recent PEEL Reports and was aware of some of the pressing issues for West Mercia for example domestic abuse, Child Sexual Exploitation and anti-social behaviour.

·       In terms of the portfolio that the DPCC would hold, the administration of grants would be part of the portfolio but the other areas were yet to be decided.

·       The PCC confirmed that the full-time equivalent (FTE) salary for the post was £51,000 and that Cllr Baylis would provide 0.7 FTE, giving a pro rata salary of £35,700 per annum.

·       The PCC was keen to support Cllr Bayliss to develop his knowledge of geographical issues and differences of the West Mercia area.

Following a vote, a majority of Panel Members supported Cllr Marc Bayliss being appointed as the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia.

A report from the Panel would be provided to the PCC.