North Yorkshire Police faces £8m in inflation costs

North Yorkshire Police faces additional costs of £8 million due to inflation this year.

At a meeting of North Yorkshire’s Police Fire and Crime Panel today, the commissioner’s office outlined how the force faced pressures due to rising utility bills, salaries and rising costs of supplies.

Michael Porter, the commissioner’s finance director, warned that even the maximum permitted council tax precept increase of £15 would not be enough to cover the figure.

He said:

“All of the options in front of us at this point in time leave us with a deficit or required savings target.

“Whether or not we go for a 1.99% increase, a £10 increase or a £15 increase.”

Mr Porter told the meeting that once investment in the force’s control room and extra recruitment was factored in on top of inflation, the police faced costs of £13.6 million.

The government has given police commissioners the power to increase the force’s share of council tax by £15 before a referendum has to be held.

A £15 hike in the police precept would be the equivalent of a 5.34% increase and see the force’s share of council tax rise to £296 for a band D property.

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But the commissioner’s office has estimated that the maximum precept increase would still leave around £4.7 million in savings required.

However, Mr Porter said that he was confident that the commissioner’s office had enough reserves to cover inflationary pressures next year.

He said:

“We do have an element of a reserve which is going to be specifically set aside next year for pay and inflationary pressures.

“I think it’s very important for us to have that so we don’t have to make any knee-jerk, in-year decisions and reductions.”

Conservative crime commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, is expected to outline her budget plans for fire and police services in February.

The consultation into police and fire precepts closes on January 16, 2023. You can take part in the survey here.

Police commissioner given power to hike council tax by £15

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has been given the power to increase the police’s share of council tax by £15 this year.

Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative commissioner, is currently consulting on her budget plans for police and fire services for 2023.

The government has given commissioners the power to increase the force’s share of council tax by £15 before a referendum has to be held.

It has also set a £5 limit on the fire service precept.

A £15 hike in the police precept would be the equivalent of a 5.34% increase and see the force’s share of council tax rise to £296 for a band D property.

Ms Metcalfe has previously warned North Yorkshire Police needs £12 million in extra funding to tackle rising costs, including salary increases and rising cost of fuel and utilities.

She said previously:

“One of my roles is to set the precepts for North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, something every commissioner has to do every year.

“It is never easy asking for more money, and I know that many individuals and families are facing financial pressures, but our emergency services are also dealing with rising costs as they continue their vital work to keep us all safe.

“This year is particularly challenging as I have to balance the burden on taxpayers and the growing demands for services from our police and fire and rescue services, so it’s vital that I hear your views.”

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A £15 increase would see an additional £4.7 million in funding compared with last year’s precept level.

The commissioner’s office says the force has a budget of £191 million — 45% of which comes from council tax payers.

Meanwhile, a £5 increase for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue would equate to a 6.6% increase in its precept.

It would raise £1.5 million and “would lead to no reductions in planned levels of service delivery”, according to a report by the commissioner’s office.

Ms Metcalfe is expected to outline her budget plans for fire and police services in February 2023.

The consultation into police and fire precepts closes on January 16, 2023. You can take part in the survey here.

North Yorkshire Police urged to explain 20mph zones enforcement

Police and North Yorkshire crime commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, are facing mounting pressure over claims that 20mph zones in the county are never enforced.

Councillors from across the political spectrum in North Yorkshire have said residents deserve answers from both the force and Ms Metcalfe after they declined to answer questions over why 20mph zones are not even enforced in areas such as outside schools.

Recent meetings of North Yorkshire County Council’s constituency committees have heard that although many residents want the number of 20mph zones increased or introduced across all built-up areas, zones which have been in place for 15 years had never been policed.

Councillors have said while the force’s safety camera vans enforce 30mph restrictions, irresponsible motorists appear to be able to drive with impunity in the 20mph zones.

In responses to questions over why North Yorkshire Police did not enforce 20mph zones, neither the force nor the commissioner denied 20mph zones were not policed, and the police appeared to suggest it would largely be up to trained volunteer residents to do so.

A police spokesperson said: 

“When concerns are raised by a local community about a 20mph zone, this may result in a Community Speed Watch outcome via our speed management protocol process. This process is speed and collision data-led and determines the most appropriate outcome for each complaint received.

“Anyone exceeding the speed limit whilst CSW are on deployment can be dealt with. Our roads policing officers may also be requested to conduct speed enforcement as part of their daily duties wherever it is determined necessary – again based on data.”

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When asked why 20mph zones were not being enforced, Ms Metcalfe said operational policing, such as deciding where and when to enforce the law, was the chief constable’s responsibility.

She said: 

“I am hearing that road safety is becoming more of an issue for some communities and next year I will be holding a public accountability meeting to look, in depth, at how North Yorkshire Police are keeping our roads and communities safe.

“Speeding motorists and anti-social behaviour on our roads has always been a major concern with communities and I will continue to raise this with the chief constable to ensure that the force are taking the most appropriate action necessary.”

Speed review

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive county councillor for highways, said the authority was reviewing the most effective approach to speed limits following a request by elected community representatives for a default 20mph zone throughout their area.

He said: 

“We must ensure that all of our efforts, particularly when resources are tight, are focussed on saving lives and avoiding injuries.

“As part of this review, we will be formally asking the police about their approach to speed enforcement inside 20mph limits so that councillors can consider this.”

Richmond Independent councillor Stuart Parsons said when a large 20mph zone was introduced in the town police stated there would be no enforcement, which made the zone “totally pointless”.

He said: 

“The police should be explaining why they are not enforcing the law in its entirety. 

“If they’re not there enforcing the 20mph, then they’re not going to be out there enforcing it when the cars are driving at 40mph, 60mph or 80mph. The boy racers know they risk nothing.”

While Cllr Parsons described the Community Speed Watch scheme as a farce as residents faced indefinite waits to be trained,  Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh said volunteers had to give motorists advanced warning of speed radar guns, which undermined the deterrent.

Cllr Marsh said she had double checked the force did not enforce 20mph zones, adding: 

“They do monitor 30mph areas, but they don’t even do that very often, they want this Community Speed Watch, which isn’t accurate and what surprises everybody is there is an allowance for people to drive at up to 37mph without incurring a fine.

“If the police and the commissioner know how people are feeling why aren’t they addressing that?”

Reduction in Harrogate fire engines to begin next year

The reduction in the number of fire engines crewed overnight in Harrogate looks set to be implemented next year.

Zoë Metcalfe, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, today published her blueprint on how fire resources will be deployed over the next three years.

Her Risk and Resource Model includes greater investment on fire prevention and rural on-call stations. But full-time urban fire stations in Harrogate and Scarborough will see the number of appliances staffed between 10pm and 9am reduced from two to one.

They will, however, get two emergency rescue fire engines at other times, when most fires occur, rather than the current one emergency vehicle and one less well equipped tactical response vehicle.

The nighttime reduction has been criticised by unions and councillors for putting lives at risk.

But today’s report, which was published after a 12-week summer consultation, provides some consolation. It says:

“We will adjust the night staffing proposals at Harrogate and Scarborough to provide added resilience by adding an additional firefighter.”

‘Low number of incidents’

The report reveals the county’s fire and rescue service received £38.2 million funding 2022/23, of which £23.4 millions came from council taxpayers.

Two-thirds of fire stations are on-call stations where firefighters respond to a pager from home or from their work. Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Masham, Lofthouse and Summerbridge have on-call stations in the Harrogate district, although Ripon has a full-time crew during the day.

Fire station locations in North Yorkshire. Pic: North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

The report says:

“Because many people do not live and work in the same community anymore, many of our on-call stations struggle to have enough firefighters available to respond, especially during the day when demand is highest.”

It also says “many of our fire engines attend a relatively low number of incidents”. In the year to March, 31 2022, firefighters attended 7,594 incidents, of which 1,742 were fires, 2,485 incidents classed as ‘special services’ and 3,367 false alarms.

‘Reduce the need for an emergency response’

The report says the “increased focus on prevention aims to address and reduce risk and the need for an emergency response”.

The joint foreword by Ms Metcalfe and chief fire officer Jonathan Dyson says:

“We are a predominantly rural service where most of our stations are crewed by on-call firefighters. It is increasingly challenging to recruit and retain staff to keep our rural fire engines available to respond to emergencies. We intend to modernise and invest in our on-call service model to ensure it is sustainable and fit for the future and ultimately improve fire engine availability.

The report says the consultation revealed more support in favour of the proposals than against, but adds:

“The extent of disagreement was greater for proposed changes to the provision of response resource (Huntington, Harrogate and Scarborough).”

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North Yorkshire Police needs £12m to meet rising costs, says commissioner

North Yorkshire Police needs £12 million extra funding to tackle rising costs, says the county’s crime commissioner.

Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, is currently consulting on her budget plans for police and fire services for 2023.

The commissioner’s office says the force has a budget of £191 million — 45% of which comes from council tax payers.

However, amid soaring inflation, the force requires an additional £12 million to meet salary increases and the rising cost of fuel and utilities.

Ms Metcalfe said she expects the government to allow her to increase the police’s share of council tax by £10 a year — a 3.6% rise for a band D property.

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But she warned that this would only raise £3.1 million and “would likely lead to reductions in current levels of service delivery unless savings could be delivered”.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“One of my roles is to set the precepts for North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, something every commissioner has to do every year.

“It is never easy asking for more money, and I know that many individuals and families are facing financial pressures, but our emergency services are also dealing with rising costs as they continue their vital work to keep us all safe.

“This year is particularly challenging as I have to balance the burden on taxpayers and the growing demands for services from our police and fire and rescue services, so it’s vital that I hear your views.

“Please go online, take just a few minutes to have your say and I will ensure your views are reflected when decisions are made.”

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue would require an additional £2 million for next year, the commissioner’s office estimates.

Ms Metcalfe said she expects the government will allow her to raise the fire precept by 3% – which would raise £700,000.

However, the commissioner’s office said this would be “significantly below inflation and would likely lead to reductions in current levels of service delivery”.

Ms Metcalfe is expected to outline her budget plans for fire and police services in February 2023.

The consultation into police and fire precepts closes on January 16, 2023. You can take part in the survey here.

Crime commissioner Zoë Metcalfe resigns from Harrogate Borough Council

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has resigned as a councillor on Harrogate Borough Council.

The news has not been publicly announced yet. However, the council’s website confirms she is no longer a councillor.

The Stray Ferret was alerted to the news by another councillor and has attempted to contact Ms Metcalfe directly, as well as the Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and Harrogate Borough Council for further details. So far only Harrogate Borough Council has replied to clarify there won’t be a by-election.

A spokesman said:

“Under the terms of the Structural Changes Order we are unable to run by-elections to fill vacancies arising after September 30, unless the total number of unfilled vacancies exceeds one third of the whole number of members.  Therefore there will not be a by-election for this seat.”

Ms Metcalfe, a Conservative, was elected to the £74,000 commissioner’s role in November last year after her predecessor Philip Allott resigned.

At the time she represented Claro on Harrogate Borough Council and Knaresborough on North Yorkshire County Council.

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She did not seek re-election to the county council in May’s local elections but retained her borough council seat. Her departure today comes four months to the day before the borough council is abolished to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council.

Ms Metcalfe has strong local connections: she was born in Ripon and now lives in Aldborough, near Boroughbridge.

She joined the Conservatives in 2014 and has twice stood unsuccessfully for Parliament: first in Doncaster Central and then in Leeds West.

A fire service review she led this year generated controversy because of its decision to reduce the number of fire engines stationed at Harrogate from two to one overnight.

People waiting up to an hour for 101 calls to be answered, says North Yorkshire Police

People are waiting for up to an hour for a 101 call to be answered, a senior North Yorkshire Police officer has said.

Mike Walker, assistant chief constable at the force, told a North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner public accountability meeting that the figure was “not acceptable”.

He said that the force had an average answer time of eight minutes and 47 seconds for October 2022 – four times the national standard.

The target for police force’s across the country is to answer 80% of non-emergency calls within two minutes.

ACC Walker said the long waiting times for 101 was the reason why the force’s abandonment rate was so high. This refers to the number of people giving up.

He said:

“On a daily basis we look at that from a chief officer team and I know there have been people waiting between half an hour and an hour on 101 on some days.

“It’s just not acceptable and this is why we have an abandonment rate of 20%. We should not be having more than 5% on 101.”

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ACC Walker told the meeting that Humberside Police had agreed to carry out a peer review of the force’s call handling and help them improve.

He added that the police were keen to improve the call times and return the control room to an “outstanding” rating.

Zoe Metcalfe, Mike Walker and Mabs Hussain, deputy chief constable, at the public accountability meeting.

Zoe Metcalfe, Mike Walker and Mabs Hussain, deputy chief constable, at the public accountability meeting.

He said:

“We know how we need to achieve that.

“It’s a question of putting the right plans in place and having the relevant discussions and then, over the next 12 months, it’s a question of getting back to where we need to be by serving the public of North Yorkshire with an outstanding control room.

“That needs to be the aim.”

Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said the aim needed to be “a lot quicker than 12 months”, but added she accepted that “these things take time”.

The move comes as concerns over the length of time it takes to answer 101 calls has been a long-running concern across the county.

Ms Metcalfe’s predecessor, Philip Allott, was told by North Yorkshire county councillors last year that the non-emergency line was “not fit for purpose and it hasn’t been fit for purpose for the last eight years” and that “the phone just doesn’t get answered”.

Criminals in North Yorkshire could make written apologies to victims

Criminals could be asked to make written apologies to victims under new plans for policing in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe is consulting on a community remedy document.

Each local policing body must have a community remedy document for its area that is informed by consultation.

The document includes options for dealing with less serious crime and anti-social behaviour.

The options being considered in North Yorkshire include asking criminals to make verbal or written apologies or to sign acceptable behaviour contracts in which they pledge to change their behaviour.

Victims of crime, such as street drinking, littering, noise, animal problems, vehicle nuisance or trespass, will be able to discuss the finalised community remedy options with a police officer and provide their preferred course of action for the officer to consider.

Ms Metcalfe today opened a consultation on plans jointly drawn up with North Yorkshire Police.

The options people are asked to comment on are:

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The community remedy process aims to support victims by giving them reassurance that their offender is remorseful. The aim is to promote public confidence in the out-of-court disposal process.

This is a method for avoiding court proceedings and criminal charges when an offender is known and admits the offence.

Causes ‘misery’

Ms Metcalfe said:

“Anti-social behavioural problems can cause misery in communities, and I want members of the public to feel empowered by the community remedy, in that they have a say in the best way to prevent re-offending and feel reassured by the actions taken by the police.

“Please complete the short survey to inform my decision on the final options.”

Lisa Winward, Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“The community remedy will provide victims of low level crime and anti-social behaviour with a greater say in how an offender is held to account for their actions.

“We know that crimes and behaviour of this kind can take their toll on individuals and communities and I welcome the commissioner’s survey to better understand the menu of remedial options that communities feel best fit the crime.”

To take part in the seven-week survey, which closes on January 10, click here.

Harrogate district firefighters tackle four ‘significant incidents’ overnight

Harrogate district firefighters tackled four “significant incidents” in the space of just over an hour last night.

Two fire engines from Harrogate were mobilised, along with appliances from Knaresborough, Ripon, Boroughbridge and Summerbridge.

The number of overnight fire engines at Harrogate is due to be reduced from two to one under plans by North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe.

Firstly, crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough were called to a fire in the basement of a pub at Bond End, Knaresborough at 2.24am.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log said:

“This was caused by spontaneous combustion of warm laundry in a basket and caused fire damage to the laundry only, there was smoke damage to the entire property.

“Crews used four breathing apparatus, one hose reel jet, a thermal imaging camera and a positive pressure ventilation fan to extinguish the fire.”

Because Harrogate and Knaresborough firefighters were still dealing with this, crews from Ripon and Boroughbridge had to be drafted in at 2.58pm to a house fire on St Leonard’s Road in Harrogate caused by an electric heater which was too close to combustible materials.

One man had got out of the property by the time they arrived thanks to the smoke alarm going off. The incident log said:

“Crews used four breathing apparatus, one hose reel jet, thermal imaging camera and a backpack sprayer to extinguish the fire which was caused by an electric heater too close to combustible materials.”

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The firefighters’ night was far from over.

At 3.11am, firefighters from Harrogate and Summerbridge used hydraulic cutting equipment to extract a man from his car following a single vehicle crash on the B6161 at Beckwithshaw.

Then at 3.38am, an officer and a crew from Knaresborough attended a single vehicle crash on the B6161 at Leathley. A man, believed to be drunk, had broken his nose and was out of the vehicle where he was left in the hands of police.

A Harrogate Fire Station spokesperson said:

“Fire crews in the Harrogate district last night had four significant incidents all at the same time.

“Resources were stretched but able to assist in all incidents.”

The spokesperson said “smoke alarms really do save lives” and the fire  caused by the electric heater “is not unique”. They added:

“Firefighters nationwide are warning of the increased risk of fire due to unsafe use of electric heaters as people try to keep down costs during the winter.”

Safety advice from Electrical Safety First if you have an electric heater

 

Plan approved to convert former Pateley Bridge police station into home

A former police station in Pateley Bridge will be turned into a home after plans were approved.

The owners of Kendall’s Farm Butchers in the town bought the station on King Street.

Former North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan announced last year that the building would be sold as part of cost-cutting measures.

The Stray Ferret later revealed in July this year that the station was sold for £297,000. It was estimated to sell for £142,000.

In a planning application submitted to Harrogate Borough Council by Paul Kendall, a third generation butcher, the family bought the building to relocate to Pateley Bridge.

Now, the council has approved the plan.

Planning documents reveal they had been looking to relocate closer to the business for many years but were unable to find anywhere suitable.

Harrogate architect James Robinson, who submitted the plan on behalf of the Kendalls, wrote that living within 200 metres of the main shop in Pateley will be “revolutionary” for the family, as it will allow for a much better work-life balance.

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