Decision details
Appointment of independent co-opted members to the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel
Decision Maker: Chief Executive Officer
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Decision:
The Chief Executive Officer noted that members
of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel had met
informally on 14 October 2021, and had agreed to recommend the
appointment of Martin Walker and Fraser Forsyth as independent
co-opted members to the Panel for a term of four years.
Having reviewed the report provided to the informal Panel meeting
on 14 October 2021 and considered the verbal updates provided by
the Panel Secretariat at the meeting, the Chief Executive Officer
resolved to formally approve the appointments of Martin Walker and
Fraser Forsyth to the Panel, for the reasons set out below in this
decision record.
By whom: Richard Flinton, Chief Executive Officer, under his
emergency delegated powers and after consultation with the Members
of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel.
Please note that as a non-executive decision by an officer, this
decision is not open to call-in.
Reasons for the decision:
Under his delegated decision making powers in
the Officers’ Delegation Scheme in the Council’s
Constitution, the Chief Executive Officer has power, in cases of
emergency, to take any decision which could be taken by the
Council, the Executive or a committee.
Following on from the expiry of the Local Authorities and Police
and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and
Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations
2020 (“the 2020 Regulations”), which allowed for
committee meetings to be held remotely, the County Council resolved
at its meeting on 5 May 2021 that, for the present time, in light
of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic circumstances, remote
live-broadcast committee meetings should continue, as informal
meetings of the committee members, with any formal decisions
required being taken by the Chief Executive Officer under his
emergency decision making powers and after consultation with other
Officers and Members as appropriate and after taking into account
any views of the relevant Committee Members and all relevant
information. This approach will be reviewed by full Council at its
November meeting.
The Chief Executive Officer has taken all relevant information into
account in exercising his emergency delegated powers in this
matter, including considering the views of the North Yorkshire
Police, Fire and Crime Panel Members.
The reasons for the decision in this matter are as follows:
• The Police, Fire and Crime Panel must comprise at least two
independent co-opted members;
• The two seats on the Panel came to the end of their tenure
on 14 October 2021 and as such two appointments have to be made to
ensure the Panel remains a full complement;
• The recruitment exercise undertaken by the Panel between
July and September 2021 had provided an assessment based on
application and interview process of the two highest-scoring
candidates proposed as appointees.
Alternative options considered:
N/A.
Publication date: 18/10/2021
Date of decision: 15/10/2021