Peter Astley
FORMER Trading Standards chief Peter Astley has been appointed to a top job at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC).
Mr Astley’s appointment as chief of staff at the OPCC comes despite members of the Police and Crime Panel recommending that he be not appointed.
This is believed to be because Mr Astley, former head of public protection with Warrington Borough Council, is known to Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane, who is also a member of the council.
Mr Keane came in for criticism earlier this year when he appointed Sereda Dirir, who he has known for 20 years, as his deputy and also when he decided to move his office to Warrington from Winsford.
But Mr Keane said: “Peter Astley is a high achieving and dedicated senior leader in the public sector who has a wealth of experience at leading high profile and important regulatory services such as planning, licensing and environmental health.
“Peter not only has exceptional leadership skills, that are directly relevant to the role of chief of staff, but also has considerable experience in working closely with the police at a local, regional, national and international level.”
He said Mr Astley’s appointment had come after a rigorous recruitment process which included a paper application, shortlisting, medical, personality questionnaires and police vetting. In addition, Mr Astley was subject to a Stakeholder Interview Panel to which leaders or chief executives of the local councils, the Police and Crime Panel chairman and local police and fire leaders were invited. This was followed by a full competency based interview.
Mr Keane continued: “Peter performed exceptionally well throughout the recruitment process and was consistently the highest scoring candidate.
“I am aware that following their hearing the members of Police and Crime Panel in attendance made the decision not to recommend appointment; however, on this occasion the Panel’s recommendation is against the outcome and findings of a robust recruitment exercise.
“Peter will be a great asset to the OPCC team and will make a real difference in helping me to support and maximise the potential for policing in Cheshire to deliver key outcomes in our communities.”
5 Comments
How is Mr Keane allowed to get away with these appointments? What is really happening within the Warrington Labour group?
Well from his background and experience, he sounds qualified enough to me. And there seems to have been a robust recruitment process in place. Fail to see any issue?
It would be a pity if the P&CC’s appointment of the wholly unsuited, ill qualified and uncriticised by any of our politicians DP&CC, is allowed to sully the appointment of other candidates, who should be judged on their merits and not on David Keane’s all to evident inadequacies to hold or administer the role of P&CC. Peter Astley would be a far better DP&CC than the unsuited ill qualified Cllr Drir. It’s a pity he wasn’t appointed to that position in the first instance, instead of being brought in to bolster Cllr Drir’s shortcomings.
The debate on the need for P&CCs and their ever increasing costly entourages in place of the previous oversight of Policing is a separate matter.
seems very coincidental that Keanes personal friends and acquaintances also seem to be the best candidate for the high paid jobs. Also coincidental when M.P.s spouses are also best applicants for well paid jobs too, nepotism is rife and should be stamped out.
It goes well beyond that TOGGER, the revolving door of entry for MPs and civil servants from their elected or well paid positions to jobs for the boys and girls in the private sector, whose contacts they fostered as MPs and CSs, needs to be firmly closed. Blair, Osborne and Mandleson are but three of the more outrageous examples of this gravy train, but look more closely and the list is much more widely spread.