West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissoner Mark Burns-Williamson has come under fire over his plans to appoint a deputy.
Mr Burns Williamson, who is paid £100,000 a year for his role, has told members of West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel he intends to appoint a deputy. Deputies can typically earn salaries of around £65,000-a-year.
Coun Alison Lowe (Leeds Armley/Labour) pictured below, is chair of the crime panel, which is responsible for scrutinising the work of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Coun Lowe said: “We think there should be a period of time of about a year which would enable him to categorically show that there is enough work to warrant the recruitment of a deputy.
“I’m not happy at all. I think he should achieve efficiencies in his own office first to make savings for that post, if he can justify the work. And he can’t justify the work until he has been in office for at least a year.”
The Police and Crime Panel last week rubber-stamped Mr Burns Williamson’s proposals for a 3.8 per cent rise in the policing precept, which will mean an extra £5 on council tax for band D households.
Coun Lowe added: “We agreed the precept on the basis that he would get 44 new police officers and he would achieve efficiencies in his own back office. Because he is going to have a deputy, those efficiencies are even more necessary because he is adding to the cost of the office.”
The panel does not have the powers to veto any decision the commissioner may make on appointing a deputy.
Mr Burns Williamson said: “I was really pleased last week that the Panel unanimously agreed my budget containing the costs for staff including a deputy and clearly demonstrated my commitment to decreasing the costs of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner in line with the cuts to the force endorsed by the Panel.”
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