188体育

Members present via video conference

Independent Chair

Julia Mulligan

PABEW Secretariat

Chris Moore

Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW)

• John Partington

• Bahar Munim

Police Superintendents鈥� Association (PSA)

• Dan Murphy

• Warren Franklin

Chief Police Officers鈥� Staff Association (CPOSA)

• Gareth Wilson

• Shabir Hussain

National Police Chiefs鈥� Council (NPCC)

• Stella Brooks

• Andy Fittes

• Claire Neale

Home Office (HO)

Tom Appleyard

College of Policing (CoP)

Sandy Purewal

Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)

Stephen Oakley

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC)

Andrew Tremayne

His Majesty鈥檚 Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS)

• Lois Ainger

• Katherine Riley

Welcome and Apologies

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, apologies were received from Clair Alcock (NPCC), Dan Murphy (PSA) and Kathie Cashell (IOPC).

Minutes of the meeting 25 July 2024

1. Minutes were agreed from the 25 July 2024 meeting.

Action log of 25 July 2024

2. The Chair said the action was on the agenda and would be covered shortly.

NPCC Update: Guidance on Police Officer and Staff Secondments

3. Andy Fittes (NPCC) thanked everyone for their input, with the lawyer鈥檚 comments incorporated, the document was ready for a final review. The next steps included ensuring the document鈥檚 electronic formatting was user-friendly, preparing a covering note and determining a point of contact for queries for which Andy Fittes (NPCC) volunteered.

4. Andy Fittes (NPCC) said the plan is to publish the document to PABEW members first, then circulate it more broadly within the service.

5. Sandy Purewal (CoP) suggested setting an effective date, which was agreed to be December 1 2024, provided final amendments are completed by then.

6. Lois Ainger (HMICFRS) confirmed that while the board鈥檚 wording was approved, HMICFRS would seek internal sign-off before implementation.

7. Stella Brooks (NPCC) emphasised the need for wide dissemination to prevent outdated resources from circulating. It was agreed that each member would submit a distribution list to Andy Fittes (NPCC) to ensure comprehensive reach.

8. The Chair asked for formal approval to which PABEW board members agreed.

9. PABEW agreed to revisit the item in a future meeting, roughly a year from now, to assess its reception and effectiveness.

Police Pensions: UK Police Pensions Consultative Forum & Scheme Advisory Board Update.

Home Office work plan

10. The Chair noted the SAB meeting was held on 08th October 2024.

11. The Chair stated that the HO provided an overview of their work plan and the high volume of inquiries they handle, especially concerning pensions. The workload was currently straining the policy team鈥檚 capacity.

12. On the Pension Contribution Bands Review, Implementation had been delayed to October 2025 to accommodate a three-month consultation. Engagement sessions are scheduled for November and December, and the consultation will conclude in January.

13. At the meeting Clair Alcock (NPCC) had suggested an extraordinary meeting to prepare responses before the consultation deadline. However, the Chair proposed to extend the January 14th 2025 SAB meeting by an hour to cover the response.

CPI Mismatch

14. The Chair said SAB had commissioned First Actuarial to model the impact of CPI changes on pensions, with the goal of creating a proposal for the Home Office to present to the Treasury, targeting implementation in 2026. Timelines for this work are not yet confirmed.

15. The Chair said the HO supports the proposal, but their workload means the earliest feasible implementation is 2026.

16. Gareth Wilson (CPOSA) stressed the importance of maintaining this deadline, noting past delays.

17. Shabir Hussain (CPOSA) suggested a simplified report focused on the CPI change percentage that would trigger a breach, rather than on specific ranks or progression.

18. The Chair said sticking with the agreed approach from the previous meeting, which is an update to the original report. She expressed a preference for clarity and alignment with the HO needs, asking that no further changes be introduced unless essential to the final product.

19. The Chair said there was an action at the SAB for a follow-up meeting that took place on October 15th 2024.

20. Several actions regarding correspondence were agreed upon to support pension reforms and governance.

22. Firstly, follow up Jeremy Vaughan鈥檚 previous letter to the policing minister, inspired by Scotland鈥檚 approach.

23. A letter requesting a waiver for interest charges on pension-related issues.

24. There were concerns raised about HMRC鈥檚 digital service usability through case studies, noting difficulties experienced by individual members.

25. SAB highlighted the need to send letters to forces not adhering to NPCC guidance on remedy implementation, highlighting associated risks.

26. Lastly a letter would be aimed at engagement local pension boards to improve data collection for better oversight of implementation progress.

27. The Chair noted plans to meet with the Fire SAB鈥檚 chair to discuss oversight strategies for local pension boards, with the goal of strengthening governance at the local level.

28. Additionally, a second meeting with local pension board chairs was scheduled for early in the New Year.

29. Gareth Wilson (CPOSA) mentioned a meeting with Phil Wells (NPCC) to discuss staff association issues. Gareth committed to providing updates from this meeting to inform the SAB鈥檚 planned correspondence.

30. Shabir Hussain (CPOSA) suggested reinstating the UK Police Pension Consultative Forum for the SAB to allow broader discussion on key issues.

31. The Chair was open to exploring this but was keen to aim to avoid redundancy with SAB discussions.

32. The next formal SAB meeting is set for January, but there was consensus on holding an additional follow-up meeting before then to address these actions and updates.

PABEW Discipline Sub-Committee Update

Progress of Vetting APP

33. The Chair noted the DSC meeting was held on 18th October 2024.

34. The Chair shared that the College of Policing鈥檚 new vetting guidance went through a 10-week consultation, generating a large document now under internal review, aiming for release in December. The Chair acknowledged that considerable concerns were raised but reiterated the importance of having space for discussion within PABEW.

35. On the Chief Constable Review Process Gareth Wilson (CPOSA) raised a recent change, he said the Home Office Security Department no longer feels capable of assessing police vetting cases, given their lack of specific expertise. He said that feedback to the CoP would be provided by the following week.

36. Andy Tremayne (APCC) supported The Chair鈥檚 decision to allow vetting discussions within PABEW, emphasising the link of vetting, misconduct regulations, and other procedures. He stressed that more platforms for discussion could lead to more robust feedback on these issues.

Home Office Update

37. The Chair said since the DSC meeting the Chris Kaba verdict had come back and suggested a follow-up meeting to discuss any implications stemming from the verdict. PABEW members agreed.

38. The Chair said a meeting would be arranged.

39. Duty of Candour was also raised. The Chair highlighted concerns over PABEW鈥檚 limited influence, given that the legislation originates from the Cabinet Office. There was an action taken that requested the HO gather more information by the next meeting to ensure policing鈥檚 unique needs are considered.

40. Andy Tremayne (APCC) expressed concern that PABEW, as a smaller public sector body, could struggle to influence broader legislative changes, especially when they don鈥檛 account for policing鈥檚 unique needs.

41. The Chair said it would be discussed at the interim meeting and asked if the HO could provide further information before the extraordinary meeting.

42. Tom Appleyard (HO) agreed to seek further information from the Cabinet Office about its plans. He acknowledged policing concerns were not fully understood in similar cases, like pensions.

Home Office Legislation Update

43. The Chair noted there was noting for PABEW.

AOB

44. The next meeting was scheduled for 03 February 2025.