I previously wrote with my views that Cllr Steve Waight is the wrong choice for deputy Sussex PCC to Cllr Katy Bourne. What I did not expect was that the Sussex Police and Crime Panel (PCP) who are dominated by the same West Sussex Conservative Party to which Steve and Katy belong would have the integrity to make it clear that they could not support the decision either. The PCP’s chairman Brad Watson said “We were concerned that Mr Waight would not be able to devote enough time to this demanding job, given his commitment to other local authorities”

Some of the members of the PCP will know Steve far better and for longer than Katy who has been a District Councillor in Mid Sussex for less than 2 years. This should have served as an important marker for her and raises concerns about her own judgement in being able to take wise counsel. Within minutes of the announcement by the PCP, Katy had released a statement expressing her determination to ignore them. “I am grateful for the considerations of the panel regarding my proposed appointment. I have carefully considered their points and have decided to formally appoint Mr Steve Waight as deputy police and crime commissioner. I am confident that his proven ability and experience will enable him to fulfil the role to the high standard required for the people of Sussex. He has a proven track record at a senior level in police governance, public sector finance and working with local people and communities.”

In my own consideration of Steve as Deputy PCC, I had not imagined he would also attempt to retain his County Council and Borough Council roles. Along with the work pressures, there is a clear risk of this being seen as a conflict of interest by residents in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove who will expect the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to understand their needs and represent them at least as well as the residents of Cuckfield and Goring (the two Wards that Katy and Steve represent as Councillors). My own views are based on the fact that Steve was rejected by the Conservative selection process as candidate for PCC, he did not even make it onto their long list of candidates of at least 12 people. He has a very similar skill set to Katy coming from a small business background and they are both Conservative Councillors in West Sussex. In most business or public roles, one would expect the deputy to bring different skills and perspective to the main role. Katy has done nothing to explain how Steve provides balance and diversity to her own role. What she has said is “Steve will primarily take on the communities programme while I oversee the business and financial side while holding the chief constable to account.“ As logical as this sounds, Katy is the one who was elected on the basis that “public service experience as a school governor and local councillor means that I also understand the importance of community engagement and accountability which will be vital to this role.” Assuming that Katy believed that the community was important in October when she was seeking their votes, it is shaming for her to delegate this vital responsibility to someone whose experience and ongoing focus will be on representing electors in one small part of Sussex for his other roles. Katy goes on to say that “Steve has a proven record at engaging with the public and working in the public sector”. She has encouraged him to remain a county councillor so he is involved in public issues. It seems bizarre that with this track record, the Conservative party denied the voters of the chance to vote for him.

Katy’s decision to go against the panel’s wishes is no secret and even if she has no desire to send them a positive and supportive response, one might imagine that she would choose to explain her decision in her own newsletter to those who elected her. After all this is one of the few places where she can explain her decision in her own words and not be contradicted. This is what Katy wrote “Hello, Following careful consideration of the conclusions by the Police & Crime Panel this week I formally appointed Steve Waight as my Deputy. I am confident that his proven ability and experience will enable him to fulfil the role to the highest standard required for the people of Sussex and I look forward to working with him.” (from the Sussex PCC e-newsletter 15^th February 2012). My view is that Katy is being unwise to ignore the views of the selection panel for the Conservative party which first selected her and chose not to select Steve. She is being foolish to defy the PCP and she has chosen the wrong person to be her deputy. Most importantly I think she should explain her decision in a way that tries to inform at least the 59,000 people who did vote for her in November, let alone the 1.15 Million who did not.