Agenda item

The Minutes of the meeting held on 1 February 2018 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Police, Crime and Victims Commissioner provided the Panel with the following information arising from the previous meeting:

Provision of information to Parish Councils

The PCVC informed the Panel that he had written to all Parish Clerks to inform them of police engagement with local councils.  Councillor Brookes replied that the letter did not mention the provision of a pro-forma on crime statistics to Parish Councils and asked that the PCVC ensured this would happen.

The Chief of Staff informed the Panel that it was important for local police officers to engage with Parish Councils and Parish Councillors to ascertain what they would want providing.  In reply to a question from Councillor Brookes, the PCVC confirmed that if a Parish Clerk requested a written report on crime statistics, this would be provided.  The PCVC added that the information from PACT meetings could also be provided to the Clerk if this was requested.

Grant/Taxation funding levels

The PCVC reported that in 2018/19 police funding was 72.9% Government grant, 27.1% taxation compared to 2015/16 when Government grant accounted for 76.6% of funding, with local taxation accounting for 23.4%.  This was particularly significant in the Durham force area which had the lowest yield of any force and therefore a high level of dependency on Government grant.  The PCVC added that he had received a letter from the Policing and Fire Minister to confirm that a proposal to levy increased funding from Band E to H properties was not permissible.

Reserves

The PCVC informed the Panel that a study by the National Audit Officer in 2015 into the impact of austerity has found that the level of reserves in the Durham force was below the national average.

Funding Contributions by Universities

The PCVC reported that Durham University contributed £30,000 per annum towards the cost of a University Liaison Police Officer.  In neighbouring area, Teesside University contributed £100,000 over a 3-year period, Northumbria Force received £25,000 per annum from Sunderland University, £31,000 from Northumberland University and £47,000 from Newcastle University.