Commissioning

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 enables the Commissioner to award grants to organisations or groups that will support the achievement of community safety priorities in Durham and Darlington.

The Police and Crime Commissioner oversees funding contributions which support work with partner organisations that have a vital part to play in keeping County Durham and Darlington communities safe.

The Commissioner attaches conditions to the funding, which help him oversee how well the money is spent on behalf of local communities and to ensure that there are transparency and accountability. There is a system of regular reporting which provides information on progress and evidence of effectiveness.

In June 2018, a Commissioning Strategy was published to set out the intention of the OPCC in the distribution of two million pounds of public monies within the Durham force area. 

A formal process to make spending decisions was agreed following the publication of the Commissioning Strategy in June 2018. A Commissioning Board was established to enable the consideration of commissioning and grant-making proposals for each financial year.

The Board is comprised of policy and commissioning leads from within the OPCC and is chaired by the PCC. The Board is the ultimate decision forum for commissioning activities and grant-making.

Following the completion of the commissioning exercise when a clear way forward is identified for the delivery of the service, then it is usually followed by a procurement process to select the best service provider and achieve best value, a grant funding process if the service provider is identified, or a different process if neither procurement or grant funding is the best vehicle.