Agenda and minutes

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWFpwBLs6MnUzG0WjejrQtQ

The minutes of the meeting held on 24 September 2019 were taken as read, confirmed and signed.

There were no questions submitted.

There were no urgent items for consideration.

The Chairman invited members who wished to do so to declare any interest in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations were made.

The Police and Crime Panel considered a report of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) in regard to its proposed appointment of Mr. Paul Dawkins to the post of Chief Finance Officer. A copy of the report of the OPCC, marked ‘Agenda Item 5’, is filed with these minutes.

The Chairman welcomed Mr. Paul Dawkins to the Hearing. Officers and Panel members each introduced themselves to Mr Dawkins.

The Chairman outlined the process to be adhered to, taking those present through a process document which had been circulated to all members.

The Chairman invited the PCC to explain why he chose Mr Dawkins for the role. The PCC stated that given that there was a PCC election in May 2020 and the PCC was not standing for re-election it would not be sensible to appoint a permanent Chief Finance Officer at the current time particularly as the incoming PCC may wish to choose his own staff. The PCC informed the Panel that Mr Dawkins had carried out the role previously on a temporary basis for several months, at a time when the budget process was being undertaken and Mr Dawkins had ensured that the budget discussions between Leicestershire Police and the OPCC gone well. The PCC stated that he was aware of a potential conflict of interest with Mr Dawkins carrying out the role of Chief Finance Officer at the OPCC at the same time as being Assistant Chief Officer – Finance & Resources at Leicestershire Police however the previous time Mr Dawkins had the two roles a protocol had been put in place regarding conflicts of interest (Appendix B) which had worked well and would be used again should Mr Dawkins continue to carry out the two roles. The PCC informed the Panel that in some other Force areas the same person carried out both the Chief Finance Officer role for the Force and for the OPCC on a permanent basis so this was not an untested way of working. The PCC concluded that he was confident that Mr Dawkins would make an excellent temporary Chief Finance Officer for the OPCC.

(The PCC left the room.)

The Chairman invited Mr Dawkins to explain why he chose to undertake the role of Chief Finance Officer and how he felt he was qualified for the role. In response Mr Dawkins stated that he had been invited by the PCC to cover the role on a temporary basis and he was delighted to assist the PCC and OPCC. Mr Dawkins stated that he joined Leicestershire Police in 1996 as a Corporate Accountant and in the year 2000 he was promoted to Finance Director and had therefore been part of the Chief Officer team for 19 years. Mr Dawkins explained that in recent years there had been closer collaboration between the police forces in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire and Mr Dawkins had led on the areas of finance, estates and fleet across all three forces. He had also covered the role of Chief Finance Officer for the Northamptonshire OPCC on a temporary basis at the same time as being Assistant Chief Officer – Finance & Resources at Leicestershire Police.

The Panel then questioned Mr. Dawkins regarding his suitability for the post under the following key headings:

·                     Professional Competence;

·                     Personal Independence.

Arising from questioning, the Panel noted the following points made by Mr. Dawkins:

(i)          Mr Dawkins stated that the key to a successful budget was good early engagement with key stakeholders internally and externally and understanding their needs and demands, and also knowing what the intended outcomes of the budget were. With  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

The public are likely to be excluded during the following item of business in accordance with Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972:-

Panel deliberations on the proposed appointment of a Chief Finance Officer.

RESOLVED:

That under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded for the following item of business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1, 3 and 10 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act specified below and that, in all circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

·         Panel Deliberations on the Proposed Appointment of a Chief Executive Officer.

The Panel, having gone into exempt session, considered the statement and answers provided by Mr Paul Dawkins to their questions, in addition to the introduction provided by the PCC and all relevant paperwork provided.

RESOLVED:

That, in light of the responses given relating to the professional competence and personal independence required of the post of Chief Finance Officer, the Panel unanimously endorses with no hesitation the PCC’s appointment of Mr Paul Dawkins to the post of Chief Finance Officer.

The next meeting of the Panel is scheduled to take place on 11 December 2019 at 1:00pm.

RESOLVED:

It was noted that the next meeting of the Panel would be held on 11 December 2019 at 1:00pm.