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Communities secretary, Hazel Blears, has pledged to look into complaints that councillors are being ‘frozen out' of police neighbourhood panels. Her promise was made during a breakfast debate on the findings of the Councillors' Commission last week, organised by The MJ. The pledge followed an article in The MJ (24 January, click here to view) by Conservative councillor, Nick Cuff, who complained the Metropolitan Police had issued a draft constitution to its safer neighbourhood police panels, barring councillors from voting rights. Cllr Cuff, a Wandsworth LBC member who also sits on a ward panel, called it ‘a gagging clause' which undermined ‘Whitehall's wider aim of promoting frontline councillors'. Mr Cuff said after the event: ‘Gagging councillors from voting on the panels is a swipe at local democracy, and relegates local politicians to second-class citizens. ‘If Ms Blears is serious about empowering local government, then it makes sense she stands up for councillors and helps have this restriction removed.' But, in a letter to The MJ, Rod Jarman, north west link commander for the Metropolitan Police, said, ‘… it is vital… that new people are identified to form the panels'. He added that, in order to ‘place communities at the heart of problem-solving, there needs a change in the dynamics'. And not all police panels bar councillors from chairing or voting. Reigate and Banstead BC leader, Dr Lynne Hack, told The MJ, that Cllr Cuff's experience was ‘at odds' with Surrey, where a councillor chaired her own police panel. l

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WHITEHALL

Blears pledges to act over police panel 'gag'

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