The West Mercia Governance Board (WMGB) is a monthly meeting to govern West Mercia Police and the PCC’s office.
Purpose of the meeting
To ensure:
- There is the right vision, mission, objectives, culture and strategy to achieve the organisations’ purposes
- There are good, robust processes for formulating and adapting these
- The agreed strategies are being implemented and monitored and if there is divergence, then appropriate and timely action is taken
- The organisations have the right resources in the right places to deliver the strategies
- The right systems of good governance to ensure the organisations and their resources are well directed and controlled
Meeting minutes
Decisions Made Summary:
17 November 2021:
Paper regarding funding for police bicycles:
The proposal was endorsed with investment approved by the PCC, Agreement to release £48,781 (Capital) to fund the bicycle requirements.
Fleet write offs:
The PCC agreed the request in principle to release £289,952 (Capital) to fund current write-offs.
However, the precise budget / reserve for the money to come from needs to be discussed and agreed between PB and RM, in respect of potential use of reserves.
Problem Solving Hub Vehicles
The PCC agreed to the release of £115,550 (Capital) to fund five additional engagement vans & £105,000 (Capital) for 10 Vehicles.
Additional annual revenue for servicing maintenance budget of £36,750.
Vehicle Purchase Options
The PCC approved £59,353 (Capital) in additional funding to support the replacement of fleet vehicles for patrol and SNT, enabling the purchase of 21 Toyota Corolla 2.0L Icons.
22 December 2021
PSAA Opt in – For Decision by PCC
The recommendation to Opt in was approved.
Business Services Support System and System proposal
Recommendation 2b, to go out to tender for an upgrade or replacement of the current system, was approved.
Telematics
The recommendation to procure a Telematics system via a framework was approved.
Learning Management System
Subject to the submission of revised costs, the recommendation was approved.
18 January 2022
Vehicle write-off replacement
The PCC approved spend of £77,744 to replace 4 vehicles.
16 February 2022
Improving services to Victims of Crime (VAL and VCoP)
Options B and C, an increase in Victim Care Coordinator Establishment by 2 FTE and provision of 1 FTE Victim and Witness Performance and Insight Analyst for 24 months, funded by the PCC, were approved.
DST Business Case 22/23
Approval was given to proceed with the DST Programme of works and for the associated funding, subject to confirmation of the precise amount of slippage at financial year end.
Estates Strategy
The Estates Strategy was approved as a draft for consultation.
25 March 2022
Budget Report for 2022-23
The budget was approved, with the caveat that it needs amending in terms of Policing Resourcing table (Pge 20) to match the force apportionment in the PCP presentation.
The financial figures presented are accepted and will be the original budget uploaded into the finance system. The savings plan will be circulated post meeting as an appendices to the budget report to be accepted as agreed outside the meeting by the PCC.
Capital Strategy
The strategy was approved, subject to the required amendments.
EV roll out
A joint OPCC and Force project is to be established for an initial pilot site (7 vehicles). A Change Canvas is to be developed to initiate the project through the Change & Transformation Board.
Social Value
The paper was approved.
20 April 2022
EV Paper
The recommendation was not supported, but the paper was supported in principle, subject to the required amendments.
17 May 2022
Partnership deep dive
Agreed principles within the papers and the high level plan.
Money matters
Recommendations approved.
Reserves Statement
Recommendations approved.
Prevention Strategy
Supported.
Fleet Replacement
Supported with the CO vehicle not included.
Telematics Camera
Supported.
Collaboration Approach
Supported.
Annual Governance Statement
Supported to go to audit committee
20 July 2022
Detention Officers
Option 1b, spend of £131,000 in 2022/23 to support the extension of the contract for 12 months. An indicative cost of £283,000 in 2023/24 was supported, subject to following procurement rules and to manage spend within agreed budget allocation.
Prevention Strategy Delivery Plan
The Prevention Strategy was agreed.
Prevention Network bid
No decision made at this point.
Transforming Road Safety through
The paper is not currently supported, pending a proposal submitted for a further widening of the ANPR scheme.
17 August 2022
Prevention Network hub budget proposal
The proposal was unsupported by the PCC on the grounds that it is felt the proposal does not demonstrate the best use of public money.
21 December 2022
Proposals for Governance Arrangements for WMGB
The proposals were supported by the PCC.
Contingency and EV Fund
The PCC was supportive of the request but was clear that the evidential basis should be improved through the availability of telematics data. The PCC supported WMP’s request for the release of £500k, and £22k, as per the paper.
25 January 2023
Money Matters Q3 paper
Decision – MB supported the following use of delivered underspend from the 2022/23 budget to fund specific proposals in the 2023/24 budget.
- £250,000 contribution to general reserves
- Funding of DRIVE initiative (£280,000)
- Funding of road safety grants (£250,000)
- £200,000 for Firearms Licensing Unit investment
- Existing agreement for £650,000 to be utilised by the Chief Constable, at her discretion
22 February 2023
Witness Care Unit
Decision – PCC to continue funding of two additional WCU staff for a further 12 months at a cost of £70k.
22 March 2023
Fleet replacement programme
Decision – The PCC is supportive of the 101 vehicles identified, in principle, subject to further amendments to the proposal being made regarding the 20 electric vehicles.
Fleet write off
Decision – The PCC supports the request, and asks the Force are mindful of the previous discussion.
Capital Strategy
Decision: The strategy was supported.
Treasury Management Strategy
Decision: The strategy was supported.
Joint Audit & Standards ToR
Decision – The ToR was supported.
Special Constabulary Federation membership
Decision – The PCC is supportive of the recommendation.
Reallocation of Capital
Decision – The paper was unsupported.
19 April 2023
Transforming Road Safety
Decision: The recommendation to move forward to full scoping, feasibility study and business case on the selected scheme was not supported, with more detail required on potential costs of the recommended scheme, and potential further work to follow in Shropshire pending the engineering review being carried out by local authorities.
Decarbonisation of Fleet Assets
Decision: The funds will be released except for the proposed purchase of the 20 EVs.
- To release the funding of £1,055k for the purchase of ICE Vehicles
- To release the funding of £983k + £73k for the Hybrid vehicles
Police Now
Decision: The recommendation for a one year intake of up to 10 Police Now candidates is supported.
24 May 2023
FCIU Business Care
Decision: The recommendation to release funding of £102,502 was supported.
Stolen motorcycle replacement
Decision: The recommendation to approve £20,000 was supported.
Capital outturn and carry forward 2022-23
Decision: The recommendation of the carry forward as set out was approved.
Reserves outturn 2022-23
Decision: The recommendation of the balance of reserves as set out along with the set out draw down in section 4 are approved. Additional approval was given to draw down up to an additional £250k in respect of Op Lincoln.
Annual Governance Statement 2022-23
Decision: The presented Joint Annual Governance Statement was approved.
21 June 2023
Worcestershire Coroner’s Review
Decision: The recommendation to approve submission to the cabinet on the 29th June 2023, which is supported in principle by the PCC.
Approach to consulting rape survivor
Decision: The recommendation was supported.
Lawful Business Monitoring
Decision: The amount of £110 + VAT for year one and for years 2,3 and 4 for installation costs and follow on servicing. From capital borrowing £110,000 and then £165,000 per year for 2024, 2025 and 2026 from revenue.
Scheme of Corporate Governance
Decision: The Scheme of Governance was supported by both the PCC and the Force.
26th July 2023
Money Matter Q1 2023-24
Decision: The recommendation from the Addendum was supported. A virement is authorised to enable payment of a pay award of 7% from 1st September for all employees. This to be based on a virement of £5.127m from the calculated grant income of and virement of £1.345m utilised from the contingency funding available. Confirmation of final figures to be brought to future meeting following the announcement of actual grant funding.
AOB/Forward Plan – Clarification of April 2023 Minutes
Decision: The proposed decision was accepted to clarify the funding available in relation to the FRP decision made at WMGB in April 2023.
23rd August 2023
Provision of CED Training, staffing and devices within WMP
The board is recommended:
1. To approve capital expenditure of £174,074
2. To purchasing 75 devices through the Axon contract requiring contract expenditure over 5 years.
3. To note the revenue costs (Section 4) will be included in the budget submissions from 2024/25.
Decision: The PCC is supportive of the recommendations as printed and grateful to the CC.
Youth engagement provision
Recommendation 1
Focus YETs on providing police-prioritised preventative educational inputs to secondary school students.
Recommendation 2
Create a standardised and consistent educational curriculum that will be delivered across West Mercia by the YETs.
Recommendation 3
Build a data-led model to identify secondary schools most in need of policing support.
Recommendation 4
Introduce a structured system for delivering youth engagement policing services to secondary schools.
Recommendation 5
Merge the Safer Schools PCSOs (except for the two school-funded Safer Schools PCSOs in Telford) into the Youth Engagement Teams to create one team delivering the same product under the same banner.
Recommendation 6
Redistribute youth engagement resources to ensure balanced delivery to all LPAs and their school communities.
Decision: – The PCC is supportive of the recommendations as outlined.
Money Matters AP04
Decision: PCC supports and endorses the virements listed.
20th September 2023
Dog Handler Allowance
Decision: Option 3 was supported, in principle by the PCC, subject to being managed within the current allocated budget.
Public Contact Business Care
Decision: The Business Case as presented was unsupported in its current format.
DFT Transformation programme
Decision: The recommendations as set out were supported.
Money Matters
Decision: The virements recommendation as set out was supported.
Family Matters
Decision: The recommendation as set out was supported.
18th October 2023
Fleet
Decision: The fleet replacement criteria was approved.
Decision: The PCC approved an investment of £1m capital in the vehicle fleet, for a 60% on additionality/40% on replacement split basis.
22nd November 2023
Average Speed Cameras
Decision: The PCC supported the progression of the proposed A49 project and supported in-principle a project for the A41, subject to engineering proposals for the route.
Digital Forensic Programme
Decision: The recommendations set out in the paper were supported by the PCC, including the carry forward of £699,947 and an additional capital allocation of £154,000.
Archived minutes
These minutes are in a PDF format. If you would like an accessible version of any of the minutes, please email [email protected].
