Five Commissioner candidates in running for top position
FIVE candidates are bidding to become Staffordshire’s next police, fire and crime commissioner.
The Staffordshire PFCC election was originally due to take place last May but was postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The poll will now be held on Thursday, May 6.
Conservative Ben Adams and Labour’s Tony Kearon had already been announced as their party’s respective candidates before the election was delayed.
With nominations now closed, another three candidates have come forward. They are Deneice Florence-jukes, an independent; Michael Riley of Reform UK; and Richard Whelan of the Liberal Democrats.
Police and crime commissioners are responsible for maintaining effective and efficient police forces. Their powers including setting a policing budget and council tax precept, as well as hiring and firing chief constables.
In Staffordshire, the role has been expanded to cover the fire service as well as the police.
Elections are usually held every four years using a system called supplementary vote, where voters are asked to indicate a first and second choice.
“If no single candidate receives more than 50 per cent of first choice votes, all but the top two candidates are eliminated and the second choice votes reallocated.
Conservative Matthew Ellis, won the first two Staffordshire commissioner elections, in 2012 and 2016. During his latest term he announced he would not be standing again, but has remained in the position for an additional year following the postponement of the election.
Next month’s poll will take place on the same day as the Staffordshire County Council elections and the Moorcroft by-election in Stoke-on-trent.
Four candidates will contest the police and crime commissioner election in Cheshire.
They are: Jo Conchie of the Liberal Democrats; John Dwyer of the Conservatives, Nick Goulding of Feform UK, and David Keane, of Labour.
Mr Keane has been Cheshire PCC since 2016, when he defeated the previous incumbent Mr Dwyer, who won the 2012 election.
In order to register to vote in time for these elections, applications needed to have reached the relevant electoral registration officer by midnight on Monday.