The Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel Complaints Sub Committee met to consider a complaint regarding the conduct of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner of Northamptonshire. Mr Andrew Frost was appointed as Chair for the meeting, and the Sub Committee agreed to exclude the press and public while they discussed the details of the complaint. The Sub Committee reached a conclusion on the complaint.

Consideration of Complaint 03/2025

The Sub Committee considered a report regarding complaint 03/2025, which concerned the conduct of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner of Northamptonshire. The Sub Committee agreed on conclusions regarding the complaint, which was identified through consideration of the complaint.

The agenda for the meeting noted that the report contained exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, which relates to information about an individual.

The agenda also included the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel's Informal Resolution Protocol for dealing with non-criminal complaints against the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire. The protocol states that the Monitoring Officer of the host authority acts as the first point of contact for all complaints and will deal with them in accordance with the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2012. The Public Reports Pack contains the full protocol.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The Sub Committee agreed to exclude the press and public from the meeting, as the discussion involved personal information. A member of the committee raised the importance of accountability and questioned whether the complaint could be discussed in public.

Sarah Hall, Director of Governance and Monitoring Officer, West Northamptonshire Council, advised that:

considering the complaint in private session reflected guidance, the operation of the Informal Resolution process and the need to deal appropriately with personal information about individuals. A summary of the complaint and the Sub Committee's conclusion on it would be put into the public domain in due course as part of a report to the Police, Fire and Crime Panel.

The decision to exclude the press and public was made under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, which allows for the exclusion of the public and press when exempt information is likely to be disclosed.

Declarations of Interest

Councillor Craig Morris declared that he was a former police officer, but Sarah Hall, Director of Governance and Monitoring Officer, West Northamptonshire Council, advised that this did not prevent him from participating in the meeting.