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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Yvette Cooper: Labour police chiefs won't cut secret deals on privatisation | Yvette Cooper: Labour police chiefs won't cut secret deals on privatisation |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Labour has set up a firewall against elected police commissioners striking secret deals on police privatisation by promising their successful candidates will publish details of meetings and dealings with lobbyists and private contractors. | Labour has set up a firewall against elected police commissioners striking secret deals on police privatisation by promising their successful candidates will publish details of meetings and dealings with lobbyists and private contractors. |
| The pledge comes on top of a commitment not to allow privatisation of core police functions. | The pledge comes on top of a commitment not to allow privatisation of core police functions. |
| The transparency pledge was made by the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, in the Guardian, as she challenged the home secretary, Theresa May, to urge Conservative candidates to make the same commitment. | The transparency pledge was made by the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, in the Guardian, as she challenged the home secretary, Theresa May, to urge Conservative candidates to make the same commitment. |
| Elections for the 41 commissioners in England and Wales take place on Thurday. An aide to Cooper said: "Labour PCC candidates will commit to transparency over meetings and contacts with lobbyists and in the decision-making process of any existing or new public private partnerships." | Elections for the 41 commissioners in England and Wales take place on Thurday. An aide to Cooper said: "Labour PCC candidates will commit to transparency over meetings and contacts with lobbyists and in the decision-making process of any existing or new public private partnerships." |
| The commissioners have been handed sweeping controls over multimillion-pound budgets. Police and crime panels, composed of local councillors from within the commissioner's area, will have limited powers of scrutiny. They can require the commissioner and members of the commissioner's staff to attend the panel (at reasonable notice) and to answer any question the panel finds necessary to carry out its functions. But nothing requires the commissioner's staff to give any evidence, or produce any document, which discloses advice given to the commissioner by that person. | The commissioners have been handed sweeping controls over multimillion-pound budgets. Police and crime panels, composed of local councillors from within the commissioner's area, will have limited powers of scrutiny. They can require the commissioner and members of the commissioner's staff to attend the panel (at reasonable notice) and to answer any question the panel finds necessary to carry out its functions. But nothing requires the commissioner's staff to give any evidence, or produce any document, which discloses advice given to the commissioner by that person. |
| Writing in the Guardian, Cooper said: "The new commissioners will face serious decisions on the future of policing and private contracts. A strong push is under way both from Tory government ministers and from private companies to contract out large swaths of public policing, yet there has been no debate about the risks or the safeguards needed. | Writing in the Guardian, Cooper said: "The new commissioners will face serious decisions on the future of policing and private contracts. A strong push is under way both from Tory government ministers and from private companies to contract out large swaths of public policing, yet there has been no debate about the risks or the safeguards needed. |
| "In the West Midlands and Surrey, the Home Office is pushing the police to explore massive long-term contracts with a single company with nothing ruled out, even neighbourhood patrols and investigations. Ministers don't rule out privatising police community support officers either. Private companies are lobbying hard for business and there are insufficient safeguards against corruption." | "In the West Midlands and Surrey, the Home Office is pushing the police to explore massive long-term contracts with a single company with nothing ruled out, even neighbourhood patrols and investigations. Ministers don't rule out privatising police community support officers either. Private companies are lobbying hard for business and there are insufficient safeguards against corruption." |
| "The new commissioners will face serious decisions on the future of policing and private contracts. A strong push is underway both from Conservative ministers and private companies to contract-out large swaths of public policing – yet there has been no debate about the risks or the safeguards needed." | "The new commissioners will face serious decisions on the future of policing and private contracts. A strong push is underway both from Conservative ministers and private companies to contract-out large swaths of public policing – yet there has been no debate about the risks or the safeguards needed." |
| It is widely expected that the elections in England and Wales next Thursday will produce a derisory turnout of about 15%. | It is widely expected that the elections in England and Wales next Thursday will produce a derisory turnout of about 15%. |
| The elections are being held on the same day as three parliamentary byelections, including that in Corby caused by the resignation of the Tory MP Louise Mensch. Polls published by the Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft showed Labour leading by 54% to 32%, but Labour insist the result will be far tighter. | The elections are being held on the same day as three parliamentary byelections, including that in Corby caused by the resignation of the Tory MP Louise Mensch. Polls published by the Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft showed Labour leading by 54% to 32%, but Labour insist the result will be far tighter. |
| Ed Miliband visited the constituency and reminded party workers they had lost the seat by 300 votes in 1992. Complacency must not be the party's undoing again, he said. The two other byelections are in safe Labour seats of Manchester Central and Cardiff South and Penarth. | Ed Miliband visited the constituency and reminded party workers they had lost the seat by 300 votes in 1992. Complacency must not be the party's undoing again, he said. The two other byelections are in safe Labour seats of Manchester Central and Cardiff South and Penarth. |
| Voter fear of police privatisation appears to be one issue that could drive voters to the crime and commissioner polls. | Voter fear of police privatisation appears to be one issue that could drive voters to the crime and commissioner polls. |
| The Tories have been urging the police commissioners to "consider the value of private sector partnering to achieve both cost savings and better services for the public". Police minister Damian Green told the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners that private sector tendering for back office functions will free resources for the frontline. He said: "I'm sure police and crime commissioners will want to exploit the benefits that collaboration brings to their forces, and will be guided by the duty to collaborate where it is in the interests of the efficiency and effectiveness of their own or another police force." | The Tories have been urging the police commissioners to "consider the value of private sector partnering to achieve both cost savings and better services for the public". Police minister Damian Green told the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners that private sector tendering for back office functions will free resources for the frontline. He said: "I'm sure police and crime commissioners will want to exploit the benefits that collaboration brings to their forces, and will be guided by the duty to collaborate where it is in the interests of the efficiency and effectiveness of their own or another police force." |
| Green, May and the prime minister are battling to generate interest in the elections to prevent the story becoming one low turnouts that call into question the commissioners' democratic mandates to hold chief constables to account. | Green, May and the prime minister are battling to generate interest in the elections to prevent the story becoming one low turnouts that call into question the commissioners' democratic mandates to hold chief constables to account. |
| Green has said: "What is certainly not for debate is that whatever happens, and however many thousands of people turn out to vote in each force area, every single PCC will have more legitimacy to make important decisions – decisions about what the police do – than the existing unaccountable, invisible police authorities." | Green has said: "What is certainly not for debate is that whatever happens, and however many thousands of people turn out to vote in each force area, every single PCC will have more legitimacy to make important decisions – decisions about what the police do – than the existing unaccountable, invisible police authorities." |
| The government insist that greater local accountability will increase the efficiency of chief constables and make them more responsive to the priorities of the public. | The government insist that greater local accountability will increase the efficiency of chief constables and make them more responsive to the priorities of the public. |
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