PFEW approves major overhaul of leadership and governance

The Federation’s National Council unanimously approved the transformation programme yesterday, following five months of debate and consultation.

Under the new structure, the current split leadership model of National Chair and National Secretary will be replaced by a directly elected General Secretary, supported by a Deputy General Secretary.

The National Board will also be reduced from 24 members to around 15-18, with two independent non-executive directors joining to provide additional expertise and scrutiny.

The National Council will have a strengthened role as the principal route for branch and member representation, scrutiny and accountability.

The Federation said resources would also be redirected towards providing greater support to branches and representatives through regional structures, while strengthening its campaigning, communications, negotiating and member services functions.

Branches will retain their local representative role, relationships with forces and members, decision-making powers within the Federation’s overall framework and their branch reserves.

The changes follow an independent review of the Federation which identified weaknesses in its governance and accountability, alongside requirements arising from an Employment Tribunal judgment in 2023.

Paul Williams, acting deputy national chair, said the Federation had “confronted some difficult truths about where the organisation has fallen short”. He said the changes would create a Federation that was “clearer, more accountable and better equipped to fight for its members”.

Acting national secretary Melanie Warnes said members should be able to see who was responsible for decisions, obtain the support they needed and have confidence that the organisation was accountable.

“The test of this transformation is not how impressive an organisational chart looks,” she said. “It is what members actually experience.”

The Federation said a number of the changes would require legislative amendments, and discussions with the Home Office had already begun.

The transformation programme is intended to address longstanding concerns about the Federation’s governance and culture while strengthening its ability to represent officers on issues including pay, welfare and working conditions.

The Federation said the changes would ultimately be judged on whether members felt better represented, understood how the organisation supported them and had greater confidence in its leadership.