Plan to get rid police and crime commissioners caught Wales off guard, Senedd committee told
The Welsh Government had to rush to engage with the UK Government after being caught off guard by the Home Secretary’s plans to abolish police and crime commissioners, the Senedd has heard.
Huw Irranca-Davies MS (Labour, Ogmore), the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, told the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee that the announcement “came forward at some pace” and the Welsh Government had to act quickly to make its case.
“It’s fair to say we had to run at the UK Government then to say, ‘Hey, we want to be involved in this; we have proposals about how this could work if this is your step forward,'” Mr Irranca-Davies said.
Alun Davies MS (Labour, Blaenau Gwent) was blunt in his assessment, telling the committee that the Home Secretary’s White Paper gave Wales minimal consideration.
“The paper published by the Home Secretary had one paragraph about Wales. The box was ticked,” Mr Davies said.
He went further, telling the committee that the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, had been poorly treated when called to respond in the Senedd.
“The Cabinet Secretary was brought to the Senedd Chamber on an urgent question, and she was trying to brief herself in the lift on the way down.
She was treated pretty shabbily by the Home Secretary and the UK Government on this matter, and so was the Welsh Government,” Mr Davies said.
Mr Irranca-Davies did not dispute the account. He acknowledged that the initial announcement had left the Welsh Government scrambling, but said subsequent engagement had improved.
“The subsequent engagement has been very good, because we put forward very forcibly, very forcibly, Alun, the arguments that we have an approach that could work in Wales, that it should not override structures that are already in existence, and that there is also a role for the Senedd within this process as well,” the Deputy First Minister told the committee.
He restated the Welsh Government’s long-term position on policing.
“We’ve always been clear that policing should be devolved to Wales. Let’s put that bang on the record once again,” Mr Irranca-Davies said.
He added that the majority of policing funding in Wales already comes from Welsh sources, and quoted the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice as saying “money should be spent in Wales where it’s raised in Wales, and powers should sit with those who provide the funding.”
Mr Davies pressed the Deputy First Minister on the broader picture, warning that voters expect more than compromise.
“I think people in Wales actually do want politicians to take binary choices, quite honestly. I think they do want to see change. Because if we constantly end up compromising on what we honestly believe is best for Wales, then the people of Wales will say, ‘Actually, perhaps we need some people who have got stronger views on these matters, and you’ve had long enough,'” Mr Davies said.
Mr Irranca-Davies responded by framing the PCC abolition as a practical opportunity, while insisting the destination remains full devolution.
“We play what’s in front of us. We have an opportunity here to make a significant change that could be to the benefit of the people of Wales.
Ultimately, our destination is devolution; let’s make no mistake about it,” the Deputy First Minister said.
The committee asked for written correspondence setting out how the Welsh Government is engaging with the Home Office on the replacement arrangements for PCCs. Mr Irranca-Davies agreed to provide it.
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