Top facts about your commissioner

Your Commissioner – leaflet

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Who is the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire?

Zoë Metcalfe is the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire and the City of York.

Zoë was elected on Thursday 25 November 2021 and took up the role on Friday 26 November 2021. Her term runs until the elections in May 2024.

The Commissioner’s salary is £76,300.

How is the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner appointed?

The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is a publicly elected official, with elections held every four years where the people of North Yorkshire and York vote.  

When are the next Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner elections?

The next Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner elections will take now take place in May 2024. Guidance for anyone looking to stand to be Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is available from The Electoral Commission.  

What is the role of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner?

The role of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is to be the voice of the people, ensuring community needs are listened to and met. They hold both the Chief Constable and Chief Fire Officer to account for the services they deliver and are also responsible for appointing and dismissing them. The Commissioner sets strategic priorities for police and fire and rescue services as well as the annual budgets and the amount taken in council tax which is known as the precept.  

When did the governance of Fire and Rescue Service transfer to the Commissioner?

Governance of  the Fire and Rescue Service transferred to the Police and Crime Commissioner in November 2018, after a full business case was submitted and approved by the Home Secretary, creating the new role of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

A full public consultation was held with 71% of the public in favour of the transfer.  

Who holds the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to account?

The electorate hold the Commissioner to account at the ballot box every election.

In between elections, the Police, Fire and Crime Panel scrutinise the Commissioner’s decisions and performance.

The Panel is a body made up of local elected councillors and independent members with the responsibility to scrutinise and support the work of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

• Find out more about the Police, Fire and Crime Panel, watch their meetings and find out who they are.

Who works alongside the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner?

The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has a team of people helping to deliver both their Police & Crime Plan and Fire & Rescue Plan. There are more than 30 staff supporting the elected Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to ensure that the police and fire services deliver the best possible service to the public of North Yorkshire and York.

The Office help the Commissioner engage with the public, hold the Chief Constable and Chief Fire Officer to account, develop new initiatives and ideas for service improvement. 

The Office commission and deliver a range of services to: 

• Help victims of crime to cope and recover. 
• Improve community safety. 
• Protect vulnerable people. 
• Help perpetrators resolve underlying causes of offending behaviour. 
• Handle and service recover complaints against the police and fire and rescue service. 
• Find out more about the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

How much does the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner spend?

• What we spend, and how we spend it.

How can I contact the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner?

• For general enquiries, please contact our team at 01423 569562 or info@northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk 
• For press enquiries, our communications team can be reached on media@northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk or 01423 569562  
• For complaints, please contact 01609 643339 or www.northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk/how-can-we-help/complaints/ 

Is the Commissioner subject to Freedom of Information requests?

Yes, the Commissioner is subject to FOI requests. We are committed to being open and accountable.

• Freedom of information

Roles and responsibilities of the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner, Chief Constable and Chief Fire Officer. 

The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are all separate entities. Although the Commissioner must appoint and may, in extreme circumstances, dismiss the Chief Constable/Chief Fire Officer, the Commissioner is not their employer. 

This table shows the main roles and responsibilities:

Police Fire and Crime Commissioner	Chief Constable	Chief Fire Officer
Makes sure that the views/needs of residents and businesses inform how our police and fire services operate.	Must deliver an effective police force and has direct control over the force, its officers, and staff.	Must deliver an effective fire service and has direct control over the service, its officers and staff.
Sets the police and fire priorities and decides how much money both services will be given each year to operate.	Leads and makes decisions on all aspects of operational policing.	Leads and makes decisions on all aspects of fire operational work.
Acts on behalf of the electorate to ensure that the Chief Constable/ Chief Fire Officer is delivering effective policing/fire service by holding them to account.	Is the most senior police officer in North Yorkshire Police.	Is the most senior fire officer in North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Elected into office.	Politically independent.	Politically  independent
Accountable to the public.	Accountable to the Commissioner.	Accountable to the Commissioner.