North East and Cumbria: PCC elections 2024
On 2 May, people in the north-east of England and Cumbria will head to the polls to vote for local councillors, mayors, and police and crime commissioners (PCCs).
PCCs are elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and their police forces to account, but do not directly run those forces.
They also:
Set the police budget and make sure it is spent effectively
Appoint Chief Constables of the local police forces
Engage with the public and victims of crime to help set police and crime plans, and organise projects within the community and in conjunction with the local council
Some PCCs also oversee local fire services.
There are a number of PCC roles up for election at the start of May.
Cleveland
Analysis by David Macmillan
The role of police and crime commissioner for Cleveland is one of the most challenging in the country.
The area has the highest crime rate among forces in England, with theft, sexual offences and violence some of the most serious areas of concern.
Last autumn, the force came out of the special measures - placed on it by the government in 2019, when inspectors rated it inadequate on all counts.
The current PCC, Conservative Steve Turner, is standing again. He is a former Redcar and Cleveland councillor and has worked as an agent for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Sir Simon Clarke.
Labour’s candidate is Middlesbrough councillor Matt Storey, who has worked in the office of the Middlesbrough MP, Andy McDonald.
Cumbria
Analysis by Bob Cooper
The incumbent in Cumbria, Conservative Peter McCall, is stepping down after two terms, leaving his deputy Mike Johnson to stand in this year’s election.
David Allen, a former senior officer with the National Crime Agency, is the Labour candidate, while the Liberal Democrats have chosen Kirkby Stephen town councillor Adrian Waite.
They are vying to be the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, after the office took on governance of the county’s fire and rescue service from the now defunct county council.
Overseeing the fire brigade may be one of the more challenging parts of the job, after a critical report last year raised serious concerns about its finances and ability to recruit the right people.
Durham
Analysis by Helen Richardson
In Durham, the incumbent police and crime commissioner is Labour’s Joy Allen. She is standing again, hoping to win a second term. She has had a long career working in the public sector, as a county councillor in Durham, and has been Durham’s PCC since 2021.
She is facing competition from Conservative candidate Rob Potts, a former police sergeant who is currently a Durham county councillor in Teesdale.
The Liberal Democrat candidate is Nigel Boddy.
One of the biggest issues facing Durham Police is a reported loss of confidence among the public. Councillors on Durham’s police and crime panel heard earlier this year that the public are losing faith in local policing because of slower response times and a significant drop in officer numbers. The force is 138 officers short of numbers in 2010, according to the Home Office.
The current PCC for Durham, Ms Allen, raised the police precept (the portion of monies which goes towards policing services locally) in this year’s council tax by 5.1%.
Northumbria
Analysis by Helen Richardson
The incumbent for Northumbria, Labour’s Kim McGuinness, has been in the job since 2019. She is stepping down because she is standing for the role of North East Mayor, who will be elected on the same day.
The Labour party is putting forward Susan Dungworth, a former Northumberland county councillor, for the Northumbria PCC role.
Ros Wood is the Conservative party candidate. She lives in Northumberland and is married to a former police officer.
The Liberal Democrats have chosen long-serving party member John Appleby as their candidate.
There is also an independent candidate, Mustaque Rahman, from North Tyneside. He is a crown prosecution lawyer who has also spent time as an adviser for North East magistrates.
The Northumbria force is the sixth biggest in the country and faces complex challenges, policing both urban and rural areas.
The force recently announced it was cutting more than 100 community support officer roles, to make way for an extra 134 neighbourhood police officers. The force is 380 officers short of numbers in 2010, according to Home Office figures.
To fund the restructure, the sitting PCC Ms McGuinness raised the police precept in this year’s council tax by almost 10%.
North Yorkshire
Analysis by David Macmillan
There is no police and crime commissioner election in North Yorkshire this year.
The new regional mayor for York and North Yorkshire will appoint a deputy who will take on many of the responsibilities currently held by the police, fire and crime commissioner.
What other elections are taking place on 2 May?
The first ever North East Mayor will be elected by people living in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and County Durham.
The Tees Valley Mayor will also be chosen by people living in five local authorities: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees.
A number of councillors across the north-east of England and Cumbria will also be elected, You can find out if there is a local council election in your area here.
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