Chief executive and treasurer

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is Frances Hughes. The salary of the CEO is £113,259. Frances is one of the statutory officers required by law.

Frances (Fran) Hughes joined the OPCC in October 2017.  Prior to this she was Assistant Director of Communities and Customer Services at Torbay Council. 

Fran started her career as an Environmental Health Practitioner and remains a UKPHR Defined Public Health Specialist with extensive experience in change management, business transformation, community safety, regulatory services and emergency planning.

The CEO’s role is to support and advise the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in delivering his/her manifesto as expressed through the Police and Crime Plan. The CEO also has a range of statutory duties and responsibilities, including:

1. Strategy and resource planning
2. Commissioning and service delivery
3. Information (including obtaining the views of the public, research, strategic needs assessments)
4. Scrutiny, evaluation and performance; and
5. Ensuring an efficient and effective Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. 

The CEO leads the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, focusing on delivering the full range of the commissioner’s plans and objectives, managing the team of paid staff and acting as the commissioner’s senior advisor. 

Nicola has extensive experience in finance, having worked in this field since leaving full-time education, and has held a number of senior roles within public sector finance. Previously she was the senior assistant county treasurer for Devon County Council and is a qualified accountant and member of CIPFA.

Nicola also has extensive experience of capital programme management and financing, and is currently engaged on work with the Exeter Science Park Company and Skypark.

Salary: £101,337

The financial management code of practice for the police service in England and Wales sets out the responsibilities of the role of the chief finance officer of the PCC:

1. ensuring that the financial affairs of the PCC are properly administered and that financial regulations are observed and kept up to date;
2. ensuring regularity, propriety and value for money (VfM) in the use of public funds;
3. ensuring that the funding required to finance agreed programmes is available from Central Government and Welsh Government funding, precept, other contributions and recharges;
4. reporting to the PCC, the Police and Crime Panel and to the external auditor any unlawful, or potentially unlawful, expenditure by the PCC or officers of the PCC;
5. reporting to the PCC, the Police and Crime Panel and to the external auditor when it appears that expenditure is likely to exceed the resources available to meet that expenditure;
6. advising the PCC on the robustness of the budget and adequacy of financial reserves;
7. ensuring production of the statements of accounts of the PCC; - ensuring receipt and scrutiny of the statements of accounts of the chief constable and ensuring production of the group accounts;
8. liaising with the external auditor
9. advising the PCC on the application of value for money principles by the police force to support the PCC in holding the chief constable to account for efficient and effective financial management; and
10. advising, in consultation with the chief executive, on the safeguarding of assets, including risk management and insurance.