Agenda and minutes

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed at: http://council.webcast.vualto.com/leicestershire-county-council/home/?EventId=22744

The minutes of the meeting held on held on 31 January 2018 were taken as read, confirmed and signed.

There were no questions submitted.

There were no urgent items for consideration. However, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) provided an update on the explosion and fire which had occurred the previous evening at a property on Hinckley Road, Leicester. The PCC informed that sadly the explosion had caused at least 4 people to lose their lives and a number of people were in hospital with injuries resulting from the incident. The causes of the explosion were not known at this stage though it was not believed to be terrorism related. An investigation was being carried out jointly by Leicestershire Police and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. The PCC thanked the local community for their support in assisting the people who had been affected by the incident. Some local residents required alternative accommodation as a result of the incident and this was being arranged.

Members of the Committee joined the Chairman in silent tribute to those that had died in the incident.

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. Martin Henry 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 Martin Henry to the Hearing. Officers and Panel members each introduced themselves to Mr Henry.

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 Henry for the post. The PCC stated that Mr Henry fulfilled the criteria for the role as set out in Appendix A of the report. Mr Henry had over 20 years’ experience in local government finance and had demonstrated at interview that he understood how finance worked in this field and he was enthusiastic about working for the OPCC.

(The PCC left the room.)

The Chairman invited Mr Henry 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 Henry referred to his background in local government finance and the various local authorities he had worked for. In one of those roles his remit covered Human Resources, ICT and Democratic Services so his experience was broader than just finance.  However, Mr Henry stated that he enjoyed the financial side and using numbers to tell a story. Mr Henry acknowledged that he did not have any experience in the field of policing but he saw this as a challenge and an area for personal development.

In answering the above question Mr Henry explained that he had set up a company to deliver financial advice and support to public sector organisations and as part of this he had been involved with transformation projects. However, Mr Henry had decided that he preferred to work within an organisation rather than as a contractor. In response to questioning from the Panel regarding whether ownership of this company would cause any conflicts of interest should Mr Henry take up the post of Chief Finance Officer at the OPCC, Mr Henry stated that he believed there would be no conflicts. Mr Henry further confirmed that the company was dormant and he had no intention of carrying out any trading activities whilst employed at the OPCC.  

The Panel then questioned Mr Henry 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 Henry:

(i)        Should he be appointed Mr Henry would seek to meet key stakeholders in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland in order to understand the issues and priorities relating to community safety in the region. Mr Henry stated that Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) were a vital component of the partnership working in the area and he would welcome an invitation to CSP meetings or one to one meetings with the CSP Chairs.

(ii)       In response to a question regarding the differences between setting a budget for a Local Authority and setting a budget and Precept for a police force, Mr Henry said that in his view the two processes were not dissimilar though he noted that a local authority was the billing authority whereas the Police provided the Precept information to the billing authority.

(iii)      Mr Henry had experience of working in an environment where funding was reducing and having to create strategies to enable an organisation to cope  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

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 Executive 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 Finance Officer.

Following the deliberations the Chairman of the Panel will write to the PCC on the next working day, following the Confirmation Hearing, to outline the decision and recommendations of the Panel. The Candidate will also be sent a copy of the letter.

The Panel, having gone into exempt session, considered the statement and answers provided by Mr Martin Henry 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 Martin Henry to the post of Chief Finance Officer.

The next meeting of the Panel is scheduled to take place on 28 March 2018 at 1:00pm at City Hall, Leicester.

RESOLVED:

It was noted that the next meeting of the Panel would be held on 28 March 2018 at 1:00pm at City Hall, Leicester.