Transparency data

PABEW meeting minutes, 9 December 2025

Updated 25 June 2026

Applies to England and Wales

9 December 2025, 10:30am to 13:30pm

Members present:

Independent Chair

Gaon Hart

PABEW Secretariat

Chris Moore

Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW)

John Partington

Mel Warnes

Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA)

Warren Franklin

Dan Murphy

Chief Police Officers’ Staff Association (CPOSA)

Gareth Wilson 

Shabir hussain

National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC)   

Phil Wells

Stella Brooks

Andy Fittes 

Claire Neale

Kevin Courtney 

Yemoja Rowe

Vickie Lambert

Home Office (HO)

Emma Plummer

College of Policing (CoP) 

Sue Abbott

Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)

Stephen Oakley

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC)

Andrew Tremayne

Met Police

Anthony Richards

Thomas Naughton

Welcome and Apologies

1. The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, Dilber Dervish (HMICFRS) and Tom Appleyard (HO) extended their apologies.

Minutes of the meeting 10 February 2025

2. Minutes were agreed from the 10 February 2025 meeting.

Action Point 1: Secretariat to finalise minutes of 10 February 2025 meeting and publish on the webpage. Action: Ongoing  

Action log of 10 February 2025

Action Point 2: Stella Brooks (NPCC) will reach out to Adrian Rutherford (NPCC) for an update on Fitness testing concerns and report back to the PABEW.

3. Stella Brooks (NPCC) advised that this had been an outstanding issue for some time. Funding had now been secured and commissioning was underway. Work would develop over the next six weeks, with an update expected by January.

4. The Chair agreed to leave the action open for update at the next meeting.

Action Point 3: John Partington (PFEW) to draft a letter requesting dispensation for officers with specialist skills during the year’s events to allow officers to take their children out of school during term time without penalty. The letter will be sent to Tom Appleyard (HO) for forward onto DFE for a decision. 

5. The Chair noted the action was closed. John Partington (PFEW) confirmed that PFEW had written to the NPCC but the response was not supportive and the matter was no longer being progressed.

Action Point 4:  A PABEW Working Group to be set up to look into the impact of  capability dismissals.   

6. The Chair closed the action noting the issue could be considered as part of later discussions on exit routes.

Survey Results

7. The Chair summarised the survey findings, noting that some responses were based on small numbers. Overall feedback was positive, with members generally viewed as understanding their roles and responsibilities, and respondents broadly satisfied with the Board’s size, skills mix, clarity of remit, and the robustness of meetings and decision making. Stakeholder engagement was considered effective, though capable of improvement.

8. Areas identified for development included clearer differentiation between the roles of members and observers, mixed perceptions of constructive relationships, limited clarity around strategic direction and Home Office priorities, and challenges relating to work planning and the timing of papers.

9. Dan Murphy (PSA) queried whether PABEW should have a clearer agreed plan, either aligned with or distinct from the Home Office’s plan.

10. Stella Brooks (NPCC) noted that improved organisation and coherence would strengthen the Board’s collective influence.

11. John Partington (PFEW) expressed the view that PABEW should play a more proactive and strategic role, supported by ministerial engagement.

12. Kevin Courtney (NPCC) observed that PABEW’s historic role had focused on advising on implementation rather than setting strategic direction.

13.  Andy Fittes (NPCC) and Andrew Tremayne (APCC) highlighted the importance of political buy-in, while Shabir Hussain commented that recent engagement suggested the Home Office was increasingly seeking PABEW’s views.

Action point 2: Members to provide written feedback to the Chair on the survey results, identifying areas where changes or actions could improve Board effectiveness.

White Paper Discussion

14. The Chair proposed that the White Paper be included as a standing agenda item, given its significance to PABEW’s future work. No objections were raised.

15. Stella Brooks (NPCC) advised that publication of the White Paper was expected at the end of January, with the workforce strategy to follow at a later date. 

16. The Chair noted that White Papers are typically high-level and aspirational, with detailed workforce policy and implementation developed subsequently.

17. Members discussed longer-term recruitment and skills needs, future workforce planning, the impact of AI, and reward strategy. 

18. John Partington (PFEW) highlighted the need to consider recruitment over a 5–10 year horizon, while Dan Murphy (PSA) raised questions about future workforce size and skills mix. Philip Wells (NPCC) emphasised the importance of long-term horizon scanning and alignment with reward structures.

19. The Chair confirmed that PABEW would engage with the White Paper team on future recruitment and skills, the impact of AI, and reward strategy.

Action point 3: Stella Brooks (NPCC) to seek an update via Janette McCormick (NPCC) on the anticipated timing and direction of the White Paper and related workforce strategy, and circulate this to members if available.

Action point 4: The Chair, supported by the Secretariat, to draft a neutral letter to the White Paper team setting out PABEW’s reflections on future recruitment and skills, the impact of AI, and reward strategy, for circulation to members prior to issue.

Met Police Leadership Proposals

20. Dan Murphy (PSA) outlined Metropolitan Police proposals affecting Chief Inspector, Superintendent and Chief Superintendent ranks, including a voluntary exit scheme, changes to the PDR process involving forced distribution, and the introduction of a development centre. 

21. Members raised concerns regarding the pace of implementation, consultation, alignment with College of Policing guidance, and potential impacts on morale and leadership development. 

22. Shabir Hussain (CPOSA) stressed that it is for the Commissioner to run his force how he sees fit. However, he shared the concerns about the forced distribution of PDRs. 

23. Tom Naughton (Met Police) reported strong concern among affected ranks, including risks of perverse behaviours, insufficient development support, and significant interest in voluntary exit arrangements.

24.  Anthony Richards (Met Police) explained that the proposals formed part of a wider programme of cultural change following external scrutiny.

25.  Mel Warnes (PFEW) stated that the Police Federation shared concerns regarding fairness and confidence in the processes.

26. Dan Murphy (PSA) raised a specific technical concern regarding voluntary exit compensation and potential confusion between pension scheme definitions.

27. The Chair asked whether PABEW should take any formal action and requested that the pension-related concern be checked and reported back. He confirmed that no wider formal action would be taken at this stage.

Action point 5: Dan Murphy (PSA), supported by Tom Naughton (Met Police), to provide Anthony Richards (Met Police) with details of the pension-related concern regarding voluntary exit calculations.

Action point 6: Anthony Richards (Met Police) to provide a written response to PABEW confirming the position on the pension-related concern.

Scheme Advisory Board (SAB) Update (Meeting of 14 October)

28. The Chair provided an update on the Scheme Advisory Board meeting held on 14 October. He reported that discussion focused on the future direction and priorities of the SAB, including the need to progress and, where possible, close long-standing issues. He emphasised the importance of resolving historic issues where feasible and clearly closing those that could not be resolved. Key matters discussed included the anomaly affecting members who defer 2015 Scheme benefits after age 55, which the Home Office agreed to review. The Chair noted the go-live of the Pensions Dashboard on 31 October and invited members to raise any emerging issues as part of early implementation. CPI mismatch and Annual Allowance issues were discussed, with emphasis on the urgency of launching the delayed Home Office consultation. The Home Office committed to updating the SAB once the consultation was published.

29. The Chair updated members on SAB resourcing, including exploration of options for the Board to access independent legal advice, and on the review of the SAB Terms of Reference, last updated in 2014. He also reported on remedy progress, noting that approximately 6,000 officers remained without outcomes, and confirmed that correspondence had been sent to the Minister regarding parental leave contributions.

Discipline Sub-Committee (DSC) Update - (Meeting of 15 October)

30. The Chair provided a brief update on the Discipline Sub-Committee meeting held on 15 October.

31. He reported that discussions focused on outstanding disciplinary issues requiring resolution, with particular emphasis on improving consultation processes and avoiding unnecessarily shortened consultation periods unless operationally required. This issue had been raised in correspondence to the Minister.

Police Consultative Forum (PCF)

32. The Chair asked members whether they would find routine updates from the Police Consultative Forum helpful for inclusion in PABEW papers, noting that this was a question for future consideration rather than an update at this meeting.

Action point 7: Members to confirm to the Chair whether routine Police Consultative Forum updates would be useful for inclusion in PABEW papers.

Sub-Committee Minutes Circulation

33. The Chair asked whether members would find it helpful to routinely receive minutes from the Scheme Advisory Board and Discipline Sub-Committee rather than relying on verbal updates. Members indicated that this would be helpful.

Action point 8: Secretariat to include Scheme Advisory Board and Discipline Sub-Committee minutes with PABEW papers and circulate them alongside PABEW minutes going forward.

Home Office Legislation Update

34. The Chair noted that a substantive Home Office legislation update was not available at this meeting.

Action point 9: Secretariat to request an Home Office legislation update for circulation to members before the next PABEW meeting.

Any Other Business

Exit Routes and Workforce Schemes

35. Stella Brooks (NPCC) outlined early work to review exit routes and related schemes, including identifying potential gaps, improving guidance, and considering future workforce needs. Andy Fittes identified a potential gap relating to officers who were not fully deployable but did not meet ill-health retirement criteria. Mel Warnes (PFEW) questioned whether a genuine gap existed, given existing performance, ill-health, and disciplinary frameworks. 

36. Dan Murphy noted previous work identifying legal risks. Gareth Wilson (CPOSA) raised concerns regarding governance and consistency of voluntary exit and severance schemes. At the Chair’s request, Gareth Wilson (CPOSA) agreed to provide a short summary.

Action point 10: Gareth Wilson (CPOSA) to provide a short written summary of governance issues relating to voluntary exit and severance schemes for consideration ahead of the next PABEW meeting.

Special Constables

37. John Partington (PFEW) raised concerns about declining Special Constable numbers and inconsistent reimbursement arrangements.

38. Andy Tremayne (APPC) noted existing Home Office work on volunteers within neighbourhood policing. The Chair suggested the issue may warrant future discussion and invited members to reflect on the role and purpose of Special Constables.

Action point 11: Item on Special Constables to be included at the next PABEW meeting agenda.

Engagement Between Meetings

39. The Chair encouraged members to engage between meetings and asked that correspondence clearly indicate whether it was intended for his attention only or for wider circulation. He thanked members for their contributions and closed the meeting.