Cornwall town likely to pass no confidence motion in police commissioner role
A town council in Cornwall is likely to pass a motion of no confidence in the role of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) this week
A town council in Cornwall is likely to pass a motion of no confidence in the role of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) this week, claiming that the area has suffered from a lack of policing and, consequently, there is a lack of public confidence in the police and under-reporting of crime.
In his motion, Deputy Mayor of St Ives Cllr Ken Messenger – seconded by Cllr Paul Kennedy – says that despite the town paying almost £2m towards policing, St Ives has fared much worse than other parts of the region when it comes to police coverage. The current Conservative PCC is Alison Hernandez, although the motion states that St Ives Town Council doesn’t have confidence in the commissioner role whoever is in the position.
The motion will be discussed by the town council this Thursday (September 4) when it is likely that members will agree to write to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Cornwall Council calling for better local accountability, effectiveness and value for money.
You can read the full motion here:
“St Ives Town Council pays tribute to the courage and dedication of local officers and staff of Devon and Cornwall Police and especially our two neighbourhood police officers and our police community support officer, who, despite their limited numbers, are very much valued as individuals by this council and the community.
“Nevertheless this council believes that regardless of the identity of the role holder, our parish doesn’t have confidence in the PCC role noting in particular that:
“Overall turnout in the latest PCC election in 2024 was just 22.5% (18.8% in Cornwall) and the current PCC received the support of less than 10% of the combined electorate (8.3% in Cornwall).
“Cornwall Council recently passed a motion calling for Cornwall to be recognised as the UK’s fifth nation, implying that Cornwall should be able to set its own governance arrangements for policing, independent of other parts of the UK and not to be subject to political decisions by a single individual which, in the council’s view, are made in – and predominantly for – the people of Devon.
“Furthermore, this council believes that our parish has not been well served by the PCC role, noting in particular that:
“St Ives residents are set to pay the PCC nearly £1.8 million in council tax this year for our policing and a pro rata share of government grants to the PCC is roughly £2.2m making a total annual contribution of approximately £4m. As one of the UK’s top tourist, retail and artistic destinations St Ives makes a significant contribution (more than its pro rata share) to the UK economy including through business and employment taxes that help fund government grants to the PCC.
“Despite this substantial financial contribution, St Ives has been allocated just two neighbourhood police officers and one part-time police community support officer, and a recent community update from the neighbourhood team indicated that their time is frequently spent in other parts of Cornwall: “We are unfortunately struggling with officer numbers on the frontline at the moment. Because of this I have spent several shifts covering other areas such as Truro, Falmouth and Hayle as the emergency calls that come in must be attended.”
“Furthermore, St Ives has been left out of the PCC’s allocation to 15 towns and cities of the Government’s Safer Streets funding, forcing this council and St Ives BID to fund a summer town marshal scheme, to fill the gap left by the lack of frontline policing. This adds to the financial burden which this small council is already sharing with the town councils of Hayle and Penzance to fund the management, maintenance and monitoring of town centre CCTV assets.
“The council is proud that thanks to the strong community spirit in St Ives, and the additional financial support provided by this council and St Ives BID to fill the gap, our parish remains a relatively low crime area but is concerned that:
“Agencies are withdrawing from their statutory duties and taking advantage of the commitment and willingness of a small town council to promote community safety for our residents, workers and visitors. Rather than our efforts providing additionality, they have resulted in further redactions in the police service provided for our area and;
“We contend that the lack of visible community policing and responsiveness in St Ives has resulted in a loss of confidence in the police and consequent under-reporting of crimes, drugs and antisocial behaviour. This in turn is leading to lower reported crime statistics which are then used to justify a spiral of lower and lower funding allocations for the parish, while criminal activity is allowed to flourish undetected and undisturbed.
“The council therefore resolves to write to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and Cornwall Council copying in the PCC and the Chief Constable to report this council’s passing of a motion of no confidence in the PCC role and to call for a more broadly representative form of governance and oversight reflective of Cornwall’s status as a nation, which ensures better local accountability, effectiveness and value for money for our area and will help restore public confidence in our police force.”
A spokesperson for Ms Hernandez’ office said: “As this is a vote of no confidence in the role of PCC, rather than the Commissioner herself, this is a political matter and therefore we won’t be issuing a response.”