FOI 414469
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 414469
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 10th June 2025. Please find below the response to your request:
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in relation to the contract awarded by the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to Victim Support, reportedly valued at £1.2 million per annum.
Please provide the following:
- The full bid submitted by Victim Support that led to the award of this contract.
- A copy of the final contract between the PCC and Victim Support.
- A breakdown of what the £1.2 million was intended to fund (e.g. services, staffing, programme delivery, infrastructure, etc.).
- Any performance measures, outcomes, or service level expectations outlined in the contract.
- Whether the PCC or anyone acting on his behalf approved or was consulted on any staffing plans, including the creation, redeployment, or redundancy of roles under this contract.
- Any communications or documents relating to anticipated or agreed staffing changes (including redundancies) resulting from the contract award.
- The detail of the agreements made concerning the protection of Victims Advice Line staff concerning their continuing employment rights protected under the TUPE arrangements.
- The documentation that led to the awarding of £1.2 million and not the full amount required to fully fund the service as is being claimed by Victim Support to the Victims Advice Line staff.
- What benefits are expected to be realised because of the service being moved from West Mercia police.
- Please provide the following documents relating to the decision taken by the PCC or their representative to outsource the service.
* Commissioning strategy
* Business case
* Impact assessment
* Options appraisal
12 . Please provide the following documents or information relating to the Chief Constables decision to not allow the organisation to tender for the service.
* The persons consulted
* The impact assessment
* The risk management plan
- The communications (electronic or other) during April 2024 to March 2025 between the Chief Constable or his Chief Officer team and the PCC or his representatives containing the wording "Victim Advice Line" or "VAL" in the subject.
- The costs incurred to set up the Victims Advice Line in 2019. Please include design, consultancy, IT and Website costs and what assets will be retained beyond August 2025.
- The commissioning costs incurred by both the OPCC and West Mercia police associated with the transfer of the services as planned. Please include project management, procurement and legal costs.
Reply
West Mercia Police hold some of the information you have requested.
The majority of the request is information that may be held by the OPCC as the procurement of the contract sits within their remit. You can request this information using [email protected]
West Mercia Police holds some information in relation to these two questions:
12 . Please provide the following documents or information relating to the Chief Constables decision to not allow the organisation to tender for the service.
* The persons consulted
* The impact assessment
* The risk management plan
- The communications (electronic or other) during April 2024 to March 2025 between the Chief Constable or his Chief Officer team and the PCC or his representatives containing the wording "Victim Advice Line" or "VAL" in the subject.
Your request for information has been considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”), and I am not obliged to provide the information requested.
S.12(1) of the Act states that a public authority is not obliged to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the “appropriate limit”. For police forces in England and Wales, the "appropriate limit" is £450 or 18 hours of work as set by the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
The information you have requested is not available in a readily retrievable format. There are over 450 emails retrieved on a search of ‘victim advice line’ and ‘VAL’ within the time period given between the OPCC and the chief constables. In order to ascertain whether the information you have requested is held and specific to your request would take in excess of 18 hours as each record would have to be checked individually.
In accordance with s.17(5) of the Act, this acts as a Refusal Notice.
However, In accordance with Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to your request and can provide the information requested for question 7 as this was retrieved during our initial research. This should not be taken as a precedent that additional information would be supplied outside of the time/fees legislation for any subsequent requests.
The detail of the agreements made concerning the protection of Victims Advice Line staff concerning their continuing employment rights protected under the TUPE arrangements.
There is no agreement. Regulation 4 of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 applies.