Agenda and minutes

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed at here.

The minutes of the meeting held on 2 December 2024 were taken as read, confirmed and signed.

The minutes of the meeting held on 13 January 2025 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 Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) concerning the Proposed Precept for 2025/26 and the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP). A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 6’, is filed with these minutes.

In introducing the budget and precept proposals the PCC stated that whilst he welcomed an increase in the Government Grant for Policing by 4.8%, the outdated and inequitable police funding formula would mean that this would not cover costs for 2025-26. He stated that despite Leicestershire Police making £14m of savings, a further £9.3m was required to be found to close the deficit for 2025/26 and a further £8.5m over the medium-term financial plan (MTFP). The PCC thanked the Chief Constable, and officers and staff within Leicestershire Police for their work. He recognised the financial difficulties being faced by households in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR). He provided assurance that he would work with Leicestershire Police to review and challenge the way services were provided.

The PCC drew the Panel’s attention to the fact that the meeting would be the last to be attended by Leicestershire Police’s Chief Constable, Rob Nixon, as he would be leaving Leicestershire Police in March. The PCC thanked Rob for his invaluable work in protecting the residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland over the years.

The Chief Constable Rob Nixon explained that he supported the proposed Precept for 2025/26 in order to sustain good policing and to protect investments made in Leicestershire Police. He stated that the proposed increase by £14.00 per annum for policing purposes to £300.2302 for a Band D property, would sustain and manage existing commitments against growing demand, however, it would not provide additionality to policing requirements. The main funding shortfalls affecting the budget related to the external inflationary environment and underfunding of both the employer’s national insurance cost increase and subsequent pay awards. The Chief Constable also raised concerns relating to the unfairness of the police funding formula Reassurance was given that despite financial pressures and other challenges, Leicestershire Police would continue to focus on good quality service and high standards in delivery of policing. The Chief Constable thanked the officers and staff within the Leicestershire Police for their work, and the Police and Crime Panel for supporting the PCC and Leicestershire Police in their responsibilities.

Arising from discussions the following points were noted:

(i)         The Panel acknowledged that the funding position meant that the PCC had taken the decision to recommend an increase to the Policing Precept in order to meet the requirements expected of Leicestershire Police. It was taken into consideration that the level of funding allocated through the police funding formula was not sufficient in order to meet the budget without increasing the Precept. The Panel shared the PCC’s concern regarding underfunded pay awards and costs associated with an increase in employer’s National Insurance contributions. The Government had previously provided assurances that it would cover increases in National Insurance, however, this commitment had not been met and this would result in an additional £0.3 million cost to Leicestershire Police.

(ii)        The report stated that the Government had announced that it intended to increase neighbourhood policing officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) by up to 13,000 nationally. The Police and Crime Panel Chair Mrs. D. Taylor CC raised concern that although the Government had confirmed a £1.5m grant for neighbourhood policing, it had not provided details relating to grant conditions. The Chairman asked that the Panel be updated on this position at a future meeting of the Police Crime Panel.

(iii)       The PCC stated that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

The Panel considered a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) which provided an update on his work throughout December 2024. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 7’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were made:

(i)             With regards to the presentation of data relating to community engagements and other activity undertaken by the PCC, the report had broken down data by local authority area. However, it was suggested that as around half the number of crimes committed across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) were committed within Leicester City, that data relating to the City could instead be broken down into neighbourhood policing areas. The PCC stated that the data had been listed by local authority area so that members of the Panel could focus on the authority area which they represented. However, the PCC agreed that he would consider this suggestion when presenting future reports.

(ii)            The Panel noted that there had been increase in the number of complaint reviews requested by complainants and that this had been directly linked to an overall increase in the number of complaints recorded by the Force. The Panel acknowledged the resource implications associated with this growth in demand as there had also been an increase in the number of complaints received by local authorities.

(iii)          The Chair of the Police and Crime Panel was pleased that there had been a reduction in crime in some areas as a result of work delivered through the Safer Streets Fund. The Project aimed to tackle neighbourhood crime, violence against women and girls (VAWG) and anti-social behaviour, and there had been positive impact on local communities where work had been undertaken.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the Police and Crime Commissioners update be noted.

The Panel considered a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner which provided an update on how he was fulfilling his duty to hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of the Force through Corporate Governance Board meetings. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 8’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were raised:

The Panel raised concern relating to the overall performance relating to rape outcomes, low detection rates, and the traumatic impact this had on victims. The Panel also raised this concern at the Police and Crime Panel meeting on 2 December 2024. It was noted that a sub-group of the Panel was in the process of being established in order to provide additional scrutiny of the Police and Crime Commissioners activity and the performance of Leicestershire Police when it comes to rape offences.

RESOLVED:

That the update in relation to the Corporate Governance Board, be noted.

The next meeting of the Panel is scheduled to take place on 23 March 2025.

The Chairman highlighted an error on the agenda in relation to the date of the next meeting. The agenda stated that the next meeting was scheduled to take place on 23 March 2025. However, the next meeting was scheduled to be held on 24 March 2025.

RESOLVED:

It was noted that the next meeting of the Commission would be held on 24 March 2025 at 14:00.

The Chair of the Panel reported that this would be the final meeting for Cllr. Sarah Russell, Deputy Chair of the Police and Crime Panel, as she would be stepping down from the role on 7 February. The Chair, on behalf of the Panel, thanked Cllr Russell for her work over the years and wished her well for the future.