Youth justice figures in frame for police commissioner posts

It has emerged that Alan Billings, who sits on the board of the YJB, features on the Labour candidates’ shortlist for South Yorkshire, and Bob Ashford, until recently director of strategy at the YJB, is one of two potential Labour candidates for the Avon and Somerset post.

From November, commissioners will take responsibility for local policing, taking charge of large pots of public money, including a proportion of the cash currently channelled directly to youth offending teams (YOTs).

The YJB has previously said that providing advice to YOTs on how to get the best out of the new arrangements will be a priority in the run up to the introduction of commissioners.

The concept of police and crime commissioners has proved controversial, with fears about candidates pandering to populism in their bid for election.

YOTs could potentially face a budget cut if their argument for funding is overlooked, but equally, their financial prospects could improve if they are able to convince commissioners of the value of their work.

Ashford said: “These posts provide an opportunity to make a really effective bridge between criminal justice services and local communities. A lot people think commissioners will be just about policing.

“Obviously policing is a huge and important aspect but they are also going to be responsible for budgets around community safety, crime prevention, substance misuse and victim support.

“I have got a very strong concern that the wrong person in post could actually lead to the demise of those services.”