Impartiality concerns over crime commissioner’s plan to share office with Harrogate police

Crime commissioner Zoë Metcalfe plans to relocate her office to Harrogate Police Station — triggering impartiality concerns.

Ms Metcalfe’s office said today the move could save £80,000 a year. But there are concerns working alongside police officers could compromise her duty to hold the chief constable to account on behalf of the public.

The Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is currently based at Granby Road, Harrogate. According to its website it employs 32 staff.

Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

The crime commissioner’s current office at Granby Road, Harrogate.

A spokesperson for the office said:

“We are considering how best to meet the Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s future office accommodation needs and our current, and most favoured option is co-location in Harrogate with the police and fire services.

“The commissioner recognises that the public expect police and fire buildings to be used efficiently, especially at a time of strain on public finances.

“No detailed plans have been finalised but we expect to save approximately £80,000 per year by changing our office arrangements. Like many progressive organisations, the Commissioner’s team has a strong commitment to flexible, agile working and our office accommodation needs have changed in recent years.”

A whistleblower, who alerted the Stray Ferret to the news, said:

“The PFCC and staff should be impartial and not mixing and befriending staff they may have to investigate.”

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The commissioner’s spokesperson also said police could share space with firefighters at Harrogate Fire Station on Skipton Road:

“Proposals for neighbourhood policing teams to have access to spare office space at the fire station on Skipton Road have been under consideration separately, for a much longer period of time. 

“The commissioner, chief constable and chief fire officer have asked for a specialist estates recommendation which makes the most efficient and effective use of the police and fire station buildings in Harrogate for our teams. Once this report is completed, we will make further announcements.”

Harrogate Police Station is based at Beckwith Head Road.

 

 

 

New North Yorkshire deputy chief fire officer appointed

Conservative Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has appointed Mat Walker as the new deputy chief fire officer of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Mr Walker, a 43-year-old father-of-three who has been in the role on an interim basis since June, will receive a salary of £95,294 plus an operational allowance.

He joined the fire and rescue service in 2003 in South Yorkshire before moving to a national role where he was involved in the response to major incidents including east coast flooding and the Salisbury Novichok attacks.

He has since worked in the West Yorkshire service, most recently as an area manager responsible for service assurance and improvement.

Mr Walker was appointed after three candidates were interviewed by an independent panel.

Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe said:

“I am delighted to be able to appoint Mat into this permanent role. He faced a strong challenge from an excellent field of candidates but I’m confident he’s the right person to help lead North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service on its continuing transformation.

“This is also an exciting time to be joining the service as we begin to put in place our refreshed plans on how to keep the people of North Yorkshire safe, and feeling safe over the next two years.”

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Mr Walker takes up the role at a time when unions have raised concerns over cuts worth around £8m a year.

At Harrogate fire station, it means the number of night-time fire engines will be reduced to just one.

At a meeting this month, it was revealed North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s fire engine availability was classed as being at a “critical” level for 10% of the time during May this year.

This level refers to the service having fewer than 32 staffed engines and other appliances available across North Yorkshire. Commissioner Metcalfe described availability as “incredibly concerning”.

Knaresborough’s Philip Allott launches marketing book

Knaresborough man and former police commissioner Philip Allott has written a book on marketing.

Integrated Business to Business Marketing provides “a complete blueprint for success in communicating promotional messages in the digital age”.

Mr Allott, who founded PR company Allott and Associates in 1994, said the book builds on his “40 years of practical experience” of marketing.

It is written for business owners, directors and marketing managers in the UK and abroad and covers topics such as how material written for press releases can be used for social media platforms and e-newsletters.

Mr Allott is a former leader of the Conservatives on Harrogate Borough Council and a former Mayor of Knaresborough who stood unsuccessfully in several general elections for the Conservative Party.

He was elected North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in May last year but resigned in October in the wake of comments about the murder of Sarah Everard.

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Mr Allott is also the author of The Donkeyman, which was published in 2007. It talks about the life and times of his donkey-breeding father, who was known as Donkey Dave.

His new book, which is distributed by John Hunt Publishing, will be available from next month on Amazon and at Waterstones.

 

Under-pressure crime commissioner Philip Allott: ‘I will not resign’

Philip Allott, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, reiterated today that he does not intend to resign.

Mr Allott was interviewed on BBC Look North this lunchtime in what was his first public appearance since his controversial comments about the Sarah Everard murder last Friday.

Back then, he said women “need to be streetwise” and that Ms Everard “never should have submitted” to arrest.

Since then more than 9,000 people have signed a petition calling him to go.

Mr Allott told the BBC today:

“I’m deeply sorry for the comments I made. They’re not the kind of language I would usually use. I’m just so horrified how my comments have been seen.”

When asked if he would resign, Mr Allott said he had “reflected” on his position and intended to stay.

He added:

“Because it’s more important that I carry through the mandate I was elected to do.

“83,000 people voted for me in North Yorkshire and York. That’s more than any Member of Parliament.”

Watch the interview below:

A North Yorkshire police boss who claimed women "need to be streetwise" after the Sarah Everard case has said he will not resign.

Philip Allott added he was "deeply sorry" for the comments he made.

Read more here: https://t.co/OgtNI9hr2Q pic.twitter.com/1K9c2SuBkQ

— BBC Yorkshire (@BBCLookNorth) October 8, 2021

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Local fallout

Knaresborough resident Mr Allott has faced widespread criticism in the Harrogate district over the past week, including a protest at the war memorial in Harrogate last Saturday.

Harrogate LGBTQ+ non-profit organisation Pride in Diversity and business group Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce both withdrew invitations for him to speak at events.

The Harrogate & District Law Society also released a statement that said trust in Mr Allott had been “irretrievably lost” and he should resign.

Harrogate Borough Council Liberal Democrat leader Pat Marsh said Mr Allott “should do the honourable thing and resign” and Conservative council leader Richard Cooper said his comments were “very wrong”.

North Yorkshire police, fire and crime panel, which holds the commissioner to account, is due to meet on Thursday next week and Mr Allott’s comments will be on the agenda.

The meeting will begin at 10.30am and will be available to watch online via North Yorkshire County Council’s website.

 

Have your say on police priorities for Harrogate district

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott has today opened a three-month consultation seeking views on what the priorities should be for the police and fire services.

Mr Allott, who was elected commissioner in May, said the responses would inform his Police and Crime Plan, and Fire and Rescue Plan for 2021-2024.

Mr Allott, who lives in Knaresborough, will go on a 16-stop tour of North Yorkshire and York to canvas views. Online surveys and focus groups will also feed into the survey.

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He said:

“These documents which we need to produce by law have long titles and complex requirements, but they are all about one thing – your safety, which is why I want to know your priorities to ensure they are your plans.

“Please get involved in this consultation and have your say. I promise it will be listened to.”

The Police and Crime Plan sets out the vision and priorities for North Yorkshire Police, community safety and victims’ rights, as well as the objectives and ambitions that the Chief Constable will be held to account against.

The Fire and Rescue Plan sets out the strategic vision, priorities and objectives for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for how it will better respond to the need of our communities.

Further details of the consultation and the draft plans are available at www.tellphilip.co.uk.

Crime commissioner Julia Mulligan publishes expenses

Julia Mulligan, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, has published her first expenses since lockdown.

The latest data shows she claimed virtually no expenses from June to August, when lockdown caused many events to be cancelled.

Ms Mulligan’s highest claims are for a £373 two-night hotel stay and a £282 train ticket.

The two items are included in her May expenses, when her total monthly claims were £738.52, but relate to a pre-lockdown trip to London in early March.

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A spokesman for the Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner said the tickets were purchased on 6 March for a visit to London the following week.

The spokesman said the £373 for hotel accommodation was for two nights and the £282 for rail travel was the cost of a standard class open return to London from Skipton.

Budget hotel

Ms Mulligan said she spent three days in London where she gave evidence to the Home Affairs Committee about North Yorkshire’s progress on workforce diversity, met the family of a serious case of online grooming and represented victims of serious sexual offences at a national meeting seeking improvements in the criminal justice system. She added:

“Unfortunately, as with many meetings at Westminster, the details for Home Affairs Committee were not confirmed in time for us to book advance tickets so we had to pay full fare, standard class tickets.

“Similarly, the cost of two nights accommodation in Westminster, booking last minute, does not come cheap, notwithstanding my staying in a budget hotel.

“It is my job to stand up for North Yorkshire, for our dedicated police officers and for victims of crime – and the cost of these meetings is an investment worth making to ensure our voice is heard.”

Ms Mulligan was accused of ‘extravagant spending’ on hotels and train fares last year by transparency campaigner Gwen Swinburn for claiming nearly £1,000 in eight weeks on her credit card,

Ms Mulligan replied that she always tried to achieve best value.

Ms Mulligan holds her next monthly public accountability meeting online at 1pm on Tuesday next week.

It will focus on the fire and police services’ response to coronavirus. People can watch live and submit questions.

The details are here.