Bedfordshire PCC 'sets the record straight' after man complains about expenses to Police and Crime Panel

Beds Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Kathryn Holloway has stated “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” after a member of the public complained to the county's Police and Crime Panel.
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The PCC responded to an allegation that her expenses were seven times higher than those of her predecessor, Olly Martins.

Andrew Martin made the complaint at last week's Police and Crime Panel, and further alleged the PCC had wasted money on venues for awards ceremonies and repairs to police work spaces, as reported here.

He also questioned the former Police and Crime Panel chairman's announcement that the PCC had delivered on all the promises of her 2016 Police and Crime Plan.

PCC Kathryn HollowayPCC Kathryn Holloway
PCC Kathryn Holloway

In response, Mrs Holloway's office has described Mr Martin as "a member of the public who has raised regular complaints" with the PCC’s office, Bedfordshire Police and the Police and Crime Panel.

They added: "The overwhelming majority of expenses listed on the website of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner since autumn 2019 were purchases by the Commissioner and her Chief of Staff to fit out, furnish and decorate the new centre for victims of sexual crime in the county - the Bedfordshire Sexual Assaults Referral Centre - which was launched on February 10, 2020."

PCC Kathryn Holloway said: “The whole problem here is that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

"I can quite see why a member of the public who did not understand that both my Chief of Staff and I purchased every last tea-spoon, baby bottle, item of replacement clothing for victims of all ages and decor from the cushions to the lamps, might not appreciate that every single item of this kind was destined for a centre that has quite simply transformed the experiences of those who have been affected by the worst possible crimes in Bedfordshire, in the course of me achieving a personal ambition by moving such services out of a hospital setting into one that is far more tranquil and supportive, and more like a domestic home than a medical setting.

“Even if this hadn’t been the case, I’m entirely happy that I represent exceptional value for money for the Bedfordshire council taxpayer, especially in contrast to my predecessor.

"By contrast, not only have I personally brought more money from central government into Bedfordshire Police than at any time for more than twenty years - despite the period of austerity and the squeeze on the public purse - amounting to £10.69m, winning unique reworking of the rules of the Policing Special Grant process to gain £4.57m and £3m, as well as robustly arguing for and winning the Serious Violence uplift grant of £1.36m last year and two awards of £880,000 for our Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit, but I refused to have a full time staff officer, like Mr Martins, which removed a Sergeant with full warranted powers from our stretched front line at a cost of approximately £40,000 per year.

“When it comes to the venues for award ceremonies that, without exception, have also had a policing purpose, allowing the Chief Constable, rural crime team and community hub officers to explain their successes as well as rewarding members of the public for exceptional support for Bedfordshire Police, my favourite price is zero, which has been achieved frequently or we always seek a very handsome discount,” said the PCC.

At her Community Hub awards ceremony at Woburn Abbey in September 2019, the venue and welcome drinks for officers, staff and guests were the gift of the Duke and Duchess of Bedfordshire.

The PCC's annual rural crime conference, attended by members of the National Farmers Union, councillors and the public, was also staged free of charge with the owner of Scald End Farm in North Bedfordshire, donating the venue and refreshments. An event at Luton Hoo, attended by the then Policing Minister, Nick Hurd, was paid for by the Home Office since it represented the first of the Minister’s own ‘roadshow’ events to address the root causes of Serious Youth Violence with local community leaders.

“The cost of the Luton Hoo event was met by the Home Office and I trust every member of the public other than the person who raised this complaint would understand that it was a prestigious event for me to have won for Bedfordshire, especially as it was the first in a series staged around the country. I’m beyond disappointed that it was misrepresented in this way to the public.

“Even when we hired the conservatory at Wrest Park at a discount, my office and I packed in multiple events on the same day to get best value for money.

"We launched the new Mental Health support hub in which I fund mental health nurses to work in both the Signpost Victim’s call centre and the Force Control Room to advise our victim care specialists and officers when encountering those in crisis, the Bedfordshire Women’s Network and awards for the women who make Bedfordshire safer - across blue lights, councils, charities and other partnerships - as well as the Attestation Ceremony swearing in my newly appointed Chief Constable and a farewell event for the outgoing Chief Constable, with partners from across the entire county, including our minority community and faith leaders.

"Since I both provided my own crockery and even arranged flowers myself, with my Chief of Staff and team, I don’t think there is another OPCC in the country that would have tried to drive down expense to the minimum - and be able to evidence it - in this way!” said PCC Holloway.

The complainant referred to window replacements agreed by the PCC and repairs to the parking area at Kempston Police HQ.

Regarding the car park, Mrs Holloway's office stated that an independent member of the Police and Crime Panel, Damian Warburton, a qualified barrister, wrote to the PCC to point out the poor state of repair to the surface.

Mr Warburton also wrote that he considered it dangerous and that the PCC could face expensive legal liabilities if a claim for injury was made against her unless it was repaired as a matter of urgency.

The PCC reported to the Panel that the windows are not fit for purpose and that her own cannot be fully closed, even in the heart of winter.

“In any case, I’m not going to apologise for investing in the health, morale and wellbeing of our officers and staff - which is a stated priority of my Police and Crime Plan - as they absolutely deserve to have a warm and supportive working environment which anyone in the private sector would expect as standard.

"Even then, I always seek donations and discounts from local stores and have previously pointed to the assistance provided by stores like Dunelm Mill, Gibbs and Dandy and Homesense. In the case of the Sexual Assaults Referral Centre, the main furniture - worth thousands of pounds - was donated to me entirely free of charge, after I raised a request with the Corporate Social Responsibility department of a major national furniture and clothing chain, who did not even want to be named.

“I wouldn’t usually bother to reply publicly to a complaint from a single individual but in this exceptional case, where these allegations were reported publicly, I needed, in all fairness, to allow people to hear the truth of the matter for themselves and I am grateful to the paper concerned for allowing me to set the record straight,” said PCC Holloway.