The Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Panel met on Thursday 23 July at the Civic Centre in Carlisle. The Panel is the cross-party body that scrutinises the work of Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner on behalf of residents across the county, and I’m pleased to say I was re-elected as its Chair for the coming year. It’s a role I take seriously — our job is to ask the difficult questions and to hold the Commissioner to account on the things that matter to local people.
Here is a short summary of the main items we considered.
A strong year for policing and fire
The Commissioner, David Allen, presented his Annual Report for 2025/26, alongside the end-of-year performance figures for Cumbria Constabulary and Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service. There was a good deal of positive news. Overall crime fell by just over 2%, meaning around 800 fewer victims, and anti-social behaviour dropped sharply — down by nearly a third across the county. Cumbria was also recognised by the police inspectorate (HMICFRS) as among the highest-performing forces in England and Wales. On the fire side, the Service continued to meet its response-time targets and recorded a fall in accidental house fires.
I welcomed this progress, but was clear that there are areas where I want to see continued focus — knife crime, cyber-crime and hate crime all rose over the year.
The questions I raised
I raised the increase in racially motivated hate crime, which had gone up by around a third. The Commissioner acknowledged that the national picture is a hostile one, and stressed the importance of encouraging people to report incidents so that Cumbria remains a welcoming and safe place for everyone.
I also asked about waiting times for 101 calls and what is being done to keep the number of abandoned calls down. I was told that work is ongoing across both 101 and 999 to make it easier for people to get through to the police.
On behalf of our rural communities, I asked about the inspection and maintenance of fire hydrants — and who is responsible for them — particularly in rural areas where a reliable water supply can be critical. The Commissioner agreed to look into this and to come back to the Panel with a full response, which I will follow up.
Fire and Rescue Service finances
The Panel considered the year-end finance report for the Fire and Rescue Authority. I drew attention to a statement in the papers warning that reserves are set to fall below the prudent minimum level needed for the Service to remain sustainable and resilient — clearly a concern. The Chief Finance Officer explained that this followed an unfavourable funding settlement from Government, that the budget is being revised and the required savings identified, and that reserves are now being rebuilt. This is something the Panel will keep a close eye on.
Police engagement with parish and town councils
We had previously asked for assurance that Cumbria Constabulary is engaging regularly with parish and town councils, and the Commissioner brought back a report setting out how neighbourhood policing teams work with local councils — including through the Cumbria Association of Local Councils — under the Government’s new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. The independent Crime Survey results for Cumbria are encouraging: on measures of whether residents feel the police understand and act on the issues that matter locally, Cumbria ranks among the very best in the country.
I asked specifically about how responsive local officers are to elected representatives who contact them on residents’ behalf. I was glad to be able to say that, in my own experience, this has been excellent — and it is important that this continues right across the county.
Moving to the Combined Authority
I also asked for an update on the work to move the Commissioner’s responsibilities into the new Cumbria Combined Authority. The Panel was told that the necessary governance arrangements are being put in place, with the legal framework expected to be finalised in early 2027.
As ever, if there is anything I can help with, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. The next meeting of the Panel will be held on 12 October 2026.
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