Agenda and minutes

Members of the Committee are invited to declare any pecuniary or personal interests relating to specific matters on the agenda.

Please see note (a) at the end of the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

The candidate is given an opportunity to address the Panel and then answer questions from the members.

The attached papers include guidance on how the Panel will conduct the hearing alongside papers relating to the appointment.

The Panel is provided with:

·       The name of the person whom the PCC is proposing to appoint.

·       The criteria used to assess the suitability of the candidate for the appointment.

·       Why the candidate satisfies the criteria.

·       The terms and conditions on which the candidate is to be appointed.

3.1 The Panel understood that the confirmatory hearing for the appointment of the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner was required by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. The Police and Crime Commissioner would be invited to speak to the Panel to outline the selection process and to introduce the candidate. The candidate would then have the opportunity to address the Panel, and members could ask questions of the candidate relating to professional competence and personal independence. The Panel would then go into exempt session to make its decision on whether to recommend or recommend against the appointment.

3.2 The Commissioner introduced the candidate, Nicholas Evans. He explained that Nicholas Evans had been first employed as the Deputy Commissioner when Chris Nelson first became Commissioner in May 2021. Nicholas had been chosen as the standout candidate after an extensive and transparent recruitment process was taken. The Commissioner stated that over the last three years, Nicholas had provided great added value to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. It was for this reason that the Commissioner wanted to reappoint Nicholas to the role.

3.3  The Chair invited Nicholas to address the Panel. The Panel heard that Nicholas loved his role as the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner because he enjoyed being able to enact change. He explained to the Panel that his responsibilities would focus on the public health approach to crime.

Questions to the preferred candidate

3.4 The Panel had a set of questions to ask Nicholas and they noted the following responses:

·         He had a strong understanding of what the role would entail. He would continue to focus on early intervention and prevention to further the public health approach to crime.

·         Nicholas had previously held many positions in the public sector. He had also volunteered to be a Special Constable which improved his knowledge of front-line policing and the Constabulary’s chain of command.

·         In relation to working with different organisations, Nicholas identified that he was skilled at building good relationships which he believed created a positive environment and aided his partnership working.

·         As Nicholas held his own work portfolio, he felt he was able to be operationally independent of the Commissioner.

The Committee may wish to exclude the press and public from the meeting during the consideration of item 5 on the agenda in accordance with the provisions of section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (schedule 12A paragraphs 1,2 & 3) which are:

·       Information relating to any individual.

·       Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual.

·       Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

4.1 The Chair explained that the guidance from the Home Office and LGA/Centre for Public Scrutiny recommended that the Panel move into exempt session to consider all the information available and to discuss the decision they wished to make regarding the appointment.

4.2 The Panel took a vote, and it was unanimously resolved:

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the remaining items on the agenda in accordance with the provisions of section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (schedule 12A paragraphs 1 & 2) which were:

Information relating to any individual.

Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual.

4.3 This was because it was likely that if members of the public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act and the public interest in withholding the information outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information to the public.

The Panel will consider the proposed appointment and decide whether they wish to make a recommendation to the Police and Crime Commissioner as to whether or not the candidate should be appointed.

5.1Members understood the options open to the Panel as defined using the Act and the Local Government Association Guidance that:

·         The Panel could recommend approval of the candidate; or

·         The Panel could recommend against the candidate where it felt that the candidate did not meet the minimum standards and/or had cause for concern. In this case the Commissioner could continue with the appointment.

5.2The Panel confirmed they were satisfied that the candidate, Nicholas Evans, met the job profile requirements. Having been first appointed as Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner in 2021, the Panel were impressed with his approach to the role, the wealth of knowledge he had brought, and they looked forward to seeing him continue.

5.3The Panel were complimentary about the candidate’s proven track record of being hard working and dedicated to the role, and to the wider public sector. They felt confident at Nicholas Evans’ ability to work well with a wide range of colleagues and organisations. Members had always found him very supportive when dealing with community issues, often describing him as ‘going the extra mile’.

5.4They were also satisfied that the candidate, whilst being supportive of helping to deliver the Commissioner’s priorities, understood the need to maintain personal independence as well.

5.5The Panel therefore agreed to:

Unanimously recommend the appointment of Nicholas Evans as the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner.