Corporation Sole

The request was successful.

Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner,

I require information held which confirms the current status of Greater Manchester Police becoming a corporation sole and the legal and commercial and operational reasons for this action.

Does the Commissioner consider that a corporation sole is more or less transparent to public scrutiny and accountability, in the respect of Greater Manchester Police and its partners/stakeholders?

In honour

R Austin

GMPCC Info,

Thank you for your email. Emails are treated in the same manner and with the same level of importance as other communications such as post, telephone and fax. Nevertheless we will respond to you promptly.
If your email relates to a complaint or general enquiry, please note the following information.
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is separate to Greater Manchester Police. If you are trying to report a crime, please call 999 in an emergency or 101 for non emergency issues.
The Commissioner represents the people of Greater Manchester and as such we would ask that you provide the following information:
- your full name
- your full postal address including postcode
- contact telephone number
Tony Lloyd will always try to help people who are having problems with the Police. His office does not have investigatory powers nor can the Commissioner’s office act as an appeals process for decisions already made. Tony Lloyd will forward your complaint to the Police complaints process or, if necessary, raise concerns with Police officers at the appropriate level, be that the relevant area Commander or Chief Constable.
You can of course make an official complaint direct to Greater Manchester Police, you can find out more about that here http://www.gmp.police.uk/Live/Nhoodv3.ns...
The Independent Police Complaints Commission can also be contacted; more information about their processes can be found here http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/en/Pages/your_com...
Thank you again for getting in touch. We will reply to your email as soon as possible.

GMPCC Info,

Dear Mr Austin,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request.

We will get back to you with the information requested within the next 20 working days.

Many thanks,

Lucy

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Battersby, Nigel,

Dear R Austin

I refer to your request for information that you emailed to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner on the 31 August 2014. I have treated your request as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

In answer to your question:

The Police and Crime Commissioner for each policing area is a corporation sole established by Statute. The relevant Act of Parliament is The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 that provided for the creation of Police and Crime Commissioners. A corporation sole is a legal entity consisting of a single sole incorporated office occupied by a single person. It enables the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to pass from one office holder to the next successor-in-office, giving the position legal continuity with subsequent office holders having identical powers to those of their predecessors.

From a commercial perspective, The Police and Crime Commissioner, as a corporation sole, is the legal contracting body who enters into legally binding contracts on behalf of the Chief Constable and all the property, rights and liabilities that were held by the former Police Authorities that were abolished in November 2012 are now vested in Police and Crime Commissioners as the office holder.

Police and Crime Commissioners were created as both the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats had raised concerns about the perceived lack of accountability of the former police authorities to the communities they served. Following the 2010 election, the Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition agreement set out that:

"We will introduce measures to make the police more accountable through oversight by a directly elected individual, who will be subject to strict checks and balances by locally elected representatives".

The core functions of Police and Crime Commissioners are to secure the maintenance of an efficient and effective police force within their area, and to hold the Chief constable to account for the delivery of the police and crime plan
Police and Crime Commissioners are also responsible for the appointment, suspension and dismissal of the Chief Constable.

The intention behind the Government creating the office was that Police and Crime Commissioners were likely to be far more transparent to public scrutiny and accountability to their local communities than the former Police Authority's that they replaced.

I trust that this satisfactorily answers your enquiry.

If you are unhappy with the way the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester has handled your request for information, you can request a review by writing to:

Mr Steve Mycio, Interim Chief Executive, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester, Civic Centre Complex, Chorley Road, Swinton, Salford, M27 5DA.

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint, you have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Telephone: 08456 30 60 60
or 01625 54 57 45
Website: www.ico.gov.uk

There is no charge for making an appeal.

I trust that this is of assistance to you.

Yours sincerely

Nigel J Battersby
Solicitor
Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
for Greater Manchester
Civic Centre Complex
Chorley Road
Swinton
Salford
M27 5DA
Telephone: 0161 793 3040
gmpcc.org.uk
facebook.com/gmpcc
twitter.com/gmpcc

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