Agenda item

For the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Panel to hold a Confirmation Hearing in accordance with Schedule 1 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, following notification from the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner of her intention to appoint to the role of Chief of Staff of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC).

Following notification from the Commissioner, to the Panel, of her intention to appoint a preferred candidate, Kate Gunson, to the role of Chief of Staff of

the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), the Panel held a

Confirmation Hearing in accordance with Schedule 1 of the Police Reform and

Social Responsibility Act 2011.

Members received a report setting out the powers of the Panel and the process to be followed in the Confirmation Hearing, as per the agreed ‘Confirmation Hearing protocol’. The Panel noted the information provided by the Commissioner relating to the appointment, which included:

·         Name of the preferred candidate

·         Job Description for the role of Chief of Staff

·         CV of the preferred candidate

·         Report from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) stating why the preferred candidate meets the requirements of the role

·         Terms and conditions of appointment.

The Commissioner explained that the current Chief Executive would be retiring on 31 December 2023 after two years in post and a process to recruit a replacement had been initiated in October 2023 in order to avoid any gap in this key role leading up to the PCC elections in Spring 2024.

The Panel asked the PCC questions regarding the process undertaken in arriving at the proposed appointment and heard:

·         This role was Chief of Staff and the previous role was Chief Executive. This reflected changes in the responsibilities of Police and Crime Commissioners since the roles were created, including the Finance Director and Head of Estates now reporting directly to the PCC instead of a Chief Officer.

·         Consideration had been given to the approach taken by other Commissioners and Thames Valley, Kent and Avon & Somerset had also changed to Chief of Staff. The salary level had been benchmarked against other force areas. Areas with smaller police forces paid their chief officers around £80,000 with larger force areas paying up to £120,000. The PCC was content the proposed salary of £97,000 reflected the size of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight area.

·         A transparent recruitment process had been undertaken with seventeen applications received with a range of backgrounds including military, local government and Whitehall. When the role was last advertised eight applications had been received.

·         The PCC worked closely with the candidate in her current role and was confident in her ability to step up to the Chief of Staff role.

The candidate introduced herself, providing an overview of her past experience relevant to the role. The Panel then asked questions of the candidate which related to her professional competence and personal independence, the answers to which enabled Members to evaluate Kate Gunson’s suitability for the role. At the end of questioning, the Chairman thanked the candidate and provided an opportunity to clarify any responses given.