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| Press Releases |
| West Yorkshire Police Authority Welcomes New Faces At AGM |
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Friday, 25 June, 2010
West Yorkshire Police Authority welcomes new members at its Annual General Meeting today in Wakefield.
Kiran Bali (MBE) from Huddersfield has been appointed as an Independent Member for a four year term.
She joins the Police Authority with a wealth of community volunteering experience and a good insight into the criminal justice system, as Kiran is the youngest Magistrate on the Huddersfield Bench.
The Members re-elected Councillor Mark Burns-Williamson as Chair of the Authority for the 8th year and Councillor Les Carter as Vice Chair for his third year, both expressed their appreciation and thanks to colleagues for their continued support and promised to continue working hard for the West Yorkshire public in what will be challenging times ahead.
The Authority also sees four new Councillor Members taking up roles. Councillor Sarah Ferriby (Labour) and Councillor Martin Smith (Conservative) join from Bradford Metropolitan District Council. Councillor Andrew Marchington (Lib-Dem) joins from Kirklees Council and Councillor Alison Lowe (Labour) from Leeds City Council re joins the Authority after 7 years.
Also joining the West Yorkshire Police Authority are two new Independent Members of the Standards Committee. Geoff Alvy and Anisa Mamaniyat will sit on the committee until 2014.
During the meeting at Wakefield’s Town Hall, the Annual Report was officially launched highlighting the work of the Authority during the past year and looking ahead to the future.
In his foreword, Chair of the Authority, Councillor Mark Burns-Williamson talks about the positive effects the Policing Pledge is having on local communities and also public confidence. He also highlights how the work of both the Authority and the Force is being recognised on a national stage by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), Association of Police Authorities (APA) and the Audit Commission.
The Authority also today welcomed the publication of a report reviewing the current working arrangements between the four police forces and police authorities in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
The report, ‘Delivering Value for Money Through Collaboration’ was prepared by Deloitte MCS Ltd and has identified possible areas for savings of £98 million, which it says, can be achieved through additional collaboration between Forces over the next five years.
Councillor Mark Burns-Williamson said: “I am delighted to have been re-elected as Chair for the 8th year and I also want to welcome all the new members who have agreed to support the Authorities main responsibility of ensuring an effective and efficient police service in West Yorkshire.
“At the end of the last financial year we saw crime continuing to fall and public confidence continuing to climb higher thanks to efforts and activities of the Police Authority and the Force.
“Looking to the year ahead we are preparing for it be financially difficult which is why we have been working closely with our neighbouring Forces and Police Authorities in Yorkshire and Humber in order to maximise resources for frontline policing.
“2010/11 is going to be another challenging year ahead. We will continue to work alongside the Chief Constable to meet these challenges by creating the right environment; setting clear direction, exercising rigorous oversight and ensuring available resources are used to maximum effect for the people of West Yorkshire.” |
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