Cheshire’s police and crime panel chairman quits

The job of the panel is to hold the commissioner to account for the way he runs the force.

It does that through questions and scrutiny.

Evan Morris, who has chaired the panel for nearly seven years, was unhappy when, during his first meeting as commissioner, newly elected PCC Dan Price handed out written responses from Cheshire Police to questions he had been asked himself by the panel as commissioner.

Cheshire PCC Dan Price (Image: PCC office) Mr Price (Lab) told that meeting in July: “When questions are asked with an operational steer, I took the decision, instead of answering it myself personally, what will happen is Matt [staff member] will actually hand out the written reply.

“I think that’s actually important because my role is holding the chief constable to account.

“I actually don’t like the idea of repeating the words of the chief constable in explanation.”

He said he was happy to add comments.

A number of panel members seemed unhappy with this, and it was decided there would be a private discussion at a future date about how the meetings would be run.

But Mr Morris has since quit the panel, saying he doesn’t feel it can do its job properly if it is run in this way.

Evan Morris (Image: Cheshire West & Chester Council)

Mr Morris told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I resigned because the commissioner would not answer the questions that had been pre-submitted to him by panel members.

“I’ve chaired all three commissioners in this county and no-one has ever refused to answer a question.

“I’m also the vice chair of the National Association of Police and Crime Panels and therefore I have a clear understanding of the legal role of police and crime panels in questioning the commissioner.”

He added: “I requested support from Cheshire East Council [the secretariat for the panel meetings] and it was declined.”

Mr Morris said the PCC’s office had arranged a meeting with him to ‘advise me on how meetings were going to go in the future’ and he was told the chief constable would attend that private discussion.

The chief constable has no role to play in the work of the police and crime panel.

Mr Morris said the meeting did not happen because, by then, he had resigned as panel chairman.

When the LDRS put to Mr Morris the PCC’s office had said because the questions related to operational matters, he had gone to the force for a response, Mr Morris said: “I, or the panel, are not here to scrutinise the police or the chief constable, we’re here to scrutinise the police and crime commissioner and his effectiveness in managing to run an efficient and effective police force and that’s what the legislation says.”

Cheshire’s previous two commissioners – John Dwyer (Con) and David Keane (Lab) both responded to pre-submitted questions themselves at the police and crime panel meetings.

A spokesperson for the police and crime commissioner said: “Dan Price has not been made aware of the reasons why the chairman of the police and crime panel has quit.

“He’s always happy to answer any questions posed to him by the panel, under the Home Office guidance and terms of reference of his role as set out by the panel.”

The next panel meeting takes place on Friday, October 4, at Macclesfield Town Hall at 10am.