101 ways councils will be helping Police and Crime Commissioners

Councils have identified hundreds of ways in which they will be helping new police and crime commissioners protect the public and drive down crime.

With 101 days to go until elections for commissioners are held on November 15, the Local Government Association has pulled together a 101-strong list highlighting a selection of these key roles.

Local government services, ranging from trading standards, licensing and protecting children to planning, parking and community safety, will all have a part to play in working with police.

The LGA's PCC website will detail a different way in which councils can help PCCs every day from now until polling day on November 15.

PCCs will be elected in 41 police force areas across and . They will replace police authorities which will be abolished a week later.

Cllr Mehboob Khan, Chairman of the LGA Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said:

"Police and crime commissioners will have a democratic mandate to hold their police force to account and tackle crime in their area. Such a huge task will require police commissioners to work closely with a host of other organisations, and their relationships with councils will be key.

"This list is just an illustration of the vital role councils will be playing, but it demonstrates the huge amount of crossover between the responsibilities and aims of town halls and PCCs.

"Councils, fire services and police forces are already managing to save significant amounts of money and get better results by working more closely together, and in some cases alongside the private sector. Tackling problems caused by troubled families is a prime example of where councils and police are collaborating to provide a more effective service while getting better value for money

"It will be vital that PCCs continue and build on this joint approach. Local authorities are already doing their bit by putting in preparations to help newly-elected commissioner hit the ground running when they take office in November."

Key areas for joint working between PCCs and councils highlighted in the LGA list include:

Council trading standards teams working with PCCs to tackle rogue traders, loan sharks, doorstep crime, scams, counterfeit goods and product safety concerns.

Council hosted multi-agency Youth Offending teams bringing other organisations together with PCCs to help reduce crime and reoffending.

Ward councillors providing a link between residents in their ward and commissioners who will need to take on board views from hundreds of thousands of people in large geographical areas.

LGA's Police and crime commissioners website
Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) 

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