SOUTH YORKSHIRE’S MAYOR LAUNCHES PUBLIC SCRUTINY BOARD
Published 1 September 2025 at 1:39pm
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard has set up a new Public Scrutiny Board to further ensure transparency, accountability, and community engagement in policing across the county. The Board will be chaired by the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Kilvinder Vigurs.As the voice of the people, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor play a key role in holding the Chief Constable and South Yorkshire Police (SYP) to account for delivering on the priorities outlined in the Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan.
The first meeting of the new Board will take place on Wednesday 10 September and is open to questions from the public and for both the public and press to attend.
The Public Scrutiny Board is a key part of the Mayor’s commitment to provide a public forum where senior police officers present progress reports and respond to questions from the Deputy Mayor and questions submitted in advance by the public.
The Public Scrutiny Board will:
• Review performance against the Police and Crime Plan
• Scrutinise key issues across all SYP activity
• Address emerging and urgent matters
• Promote transparency and public trust in policing
Public meetings will take place quarterly and each meeting will focus on specific themes with future sessions rotating to cover all areas of police activity over time. The September meeting agenda will include Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Sexual Abuse, Violence Against Women and off-road and e-bikes.
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “We’re all going to have to rely on the police at some point throughout our lives. They’re there for us in some of our worst moments. And because of their unique role in our lives, we all need to able to have confidence and trust in everything they’re doing on our behalf.
“I’ve set up the Public Scrutiny Board because I believe in a policing service that’s open, accountable, and shaped by the people it serves - us.
“The Public Scrutiny Board, which will be led by the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, is a space where senior officers answer directly to the public - not behind closed doors, but out in the open. It’s a chance for residents and community leaders to ask questions, raise concerns, and hold policing to account.
“At our first meeting, we’ll tackle the issues that people across South Yorkshire have told me matter deeply to them, like Child Sexual Exploitation, Violence Against Women and Girls, and the growing challenge of off-road and e-bikes. And we’ll keep going. Future meetings will shine a light on everything from road safety and neighbourhood policing to serious and organised crime. Because this is our police service, and I’m determined to give our communities proper sight of the work they’re doing every day on our behalf.”
Membership of the Board includes the South Yorkshire Police Senior Command Team and members of the Policing and Reform Senior Leadership Team at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
The quarterly meetings are open to the public and live-streamed. Separately, each month the Deputy Mayor holds a Scrutiny Board with the force that is not a public meeting.
Members of the public are encouraged to attend and submit questions to the Public Scrutiny Board. Questions must:
• Be submitted in writing at least five working days before the meeting
• Be clear, concise, and under 100 words
• Include your name, postal address and preferred contact method
To register to attend the meeting on 10 September or to submit a question please email: PolicingAndReform@southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk by Wednesday 3 September.
A maximum of two questions per person, every six months is allowed.
Information about the Public Scrutiny Board and other formal boards - including the Mayoral Combined Authority, Audit and Standards Committee, and Overview and Scrutiny Committee - is available via the Committees and Meetings database on the SYMCA website.
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