AMs refuse to give UK government permission to legislate on devolved issue

The National Assembly for Wales has voted against giving legislative consent to allow the UK government to introduce police and crime panels in Wales.

It is the first time that Assembly Members have refused to give permission to legislate on a devolved issue.

The move follows a UK government consultation on its proposals to reform police accountability by replacing police authorities with directly elected police and crime commissioners. Local authorities would be placed under a duty to set up crime panels, whose role would have been to scrutinise the work of commissioners.

The proposals are contained in the Police Reform Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament.

The Welsh Local Government Association, which has strongly opposed the reforms, welcomed the AMs’ vote.

Cllr Russell Roberts, Deputy Leader of the WLGA, said: “We are of the strong view that the Home Office’s plans are flawed. With large scale public spending cuts, it is the wrong time to introduce such radical change, nor is there any public appetite for such change. The Home Office’s own figures show that the cost of each election will be £50m alone.”

He added: “We have serious doubts over local authorities’ active participation in these proposed panels. They will have little real power or say over how policing is undertaken across communities in Wales, yet local authorities will have a duty to set them up. This will add significant pressure to local authority budgets at a time when the financial challenges are already huge.”

Cllr Roberts also said that WLGA members were concerned that some of the Home Office funding that goes towards community safety partnerships in Wales would be passed directly to commissioners. “If this happens this will remove the ability for partners to make decisions collaboratively around how money is best spent in Wales and instead these decisions will be taken by individuals.”