Members of a Police Authority have collective responsibility for allocating the police force budget, monitoring performance and consulting the public. The Authority has to approve and publish an annual Policing Plan, drawn up in consultation with the chief constable, which shows how the priorities of government and local people are to be delivered and, now, how Best Value is to be pursued and achieved. The Authority and the police force are obliged to consult with the public on the Policing Plan, monitor progress as measured by performance indicators, and subsequently give an account of achievements in an Annual Report. It is through the Policing Plan that the Police Authority holds the chief constable to account for the service delivered. In addition, Police Authorities are responsible for appointing and dismissing the chief constable and assistant chief constables a key responsibility which serves to emphasise the importance of their role, particularly in a service where the style and actions of chief officers can have a profound influence and effect.
Members can also claim travel and subsistence expenses.
Compared with some local public bodies, Police Authorities have relatively clear formal accountability, at least in relation to their role, and have structures and requirements which should render them open to scrutiny. A Police Authority represents the local community and, on behalf of the community, holds the chief constable to account. An Authority is accountable to local people - not the Home Office, as might be assumed. The public can, therefore, only actually remove councillor members by removing them as councillors at local council elections. A Police Authority has the power to remove one of its own members, though this power is rarely used.