Police & Crime Commissioner elections in the Anglia region in May 2021
There will be elections for new Police & Crime Commissioners (PCC) in each police force area of the country including nine in the ITV Anglia region.
Normally the elections are held every four years and were due to be conducted in May 2020. They have been delayed for one year by the coronavirus pandemic with the existing commissioners staying in post for an additional twelve months.
New elections will be held on Thursday 6 May 2021 and the new commissioners will serve a reduced three-year term to get the election cycle back on track.
Although PCCs do not have to be linked to a political party, in practice all the parties put up candidates for election.
At the last election in 2016, all the PPCs elected in the Anglia region were Conservatives.
More about the elections in each county in the ITV Anglia region
What you need to know about the local elections in the ITV Anglia region in May 2021
The County Council elections in the Anglia region in May 2021
What does a Police & Crime Commissioner do?
The role of the PCCs is to be the voice of the local community and hold the police to account but they are not responsible for the operational side of policing which remains with the Chief Constable.
PCCs aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within their force area. PCCs are elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and the force to account.
Sets the police budget deciding how much you pay for policing through your council tax
Appoints the Chief Constable
Draws up a Police & Crime Plan for the local force area after consulting the public
Funds crime prevention measures
Commissions local victim support services
Works in partnership with local authorities, health and education services and the criminal justice sector
Some PCCs are also responsible for the Fire & Rescue Service in their area and are known as Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners (PFCCs). There are PFCCs in Essex and Northamptonshire.
Who can I vote for?
When you come to vote for a Police & Crime Commissioner on Thursday 6 May you can for two candidates - your first and second choice.
From 15 April, you will be able to see more information about each candidate on this government website - choosemypcc.org.uk
These are the candidates in the different police force areas of the ITV Anglia region
BEDFORDSHIRE
There are five candidates standing for Police & Crime Commissioner in Bedfordshire.
Festus Akinbusoye - Conservative
Pat Hamill - Independent
David Michael - Labour
Jas Parmar - Liberal Democrats
Antonio Vitelio - English Democrats
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
There are four candidates standing for Police & Crime Commissioner in Cambridgeshire.
Nicky Massey - Labour
Sue Morris - Reform
Rupert Moss-Eccardt - Liberal Democrats
Darryl Preston - Conservative
ESSEX
There are four candidates standing for Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner in Essex.
Roger Hirst - Conservative
Robin Tilbrook - English Democrats
Chris Vince - Labour
Jon Whitehouse - Liberal Democrats
HERTFORDSHIRE
There are three candidates standing for Police & Crime Commissioner in Hertfordshire.
David Lloyd - Conservative
Sam North - Liberal Democrats
Philip Ross - Labour
NORFOLK
There are five candidates standing for Police & Crime Commissioner in Norfolk.
John Crofts - Liberal Democrats
David Moreland - Independent
Giles Orpen-Smellie - Conservative
Michael Rosen - Labour
Martin Schmierer - Green
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
There are four candidates standing for Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner in Northamptonshire.
Ana Savage Gunn - Liberal Democrat
Mark Hearn - Reform
Stephen Mold - Conservative
Clare Pavitt - Labour
SUFFOLK
There are four candidates standing for Police & Crime Commissioner in Suffolk.
Elizabeth Hughes - Labour
Tim Passmore - Conservative
Andy Patmore - Green
James Sandbach - Liberal Democrats
THAMES VALLEY
There are four candidates standing for Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner in the Thames Valley police force area, which includes Milton Keynes.
Matthew Barber - Conservative
Laetisia Carter - Labour
John Howson - Liberal Democrats
Alan Robinson - Independent
How is the Police & Crime Commissioner election conducted?
Like all the local elections on Thursday 6 May, there will be coronavirus measures in place for the Police & Crime Commissioner elections. Voters will be asked to wear face coverings in polling stations and bring their own pen or pencil to mark ballot papers.
Social distancing measures will be also be in place and you can vote by post or by proxy where you appoint someone you trust to vote on your behalf.
The PCC election is conducted using the Supplementary Vote method which means they need to attract a broader base of support.
Voters mark a first and second choice in two columns on their ballot paper. If one candidate gets more than 50% of first preference votes they are automatically elected. If not, the top two candidates go forward to the next round and all the other candidates are eliminated from the race.
The second choice votes of the eliminated candidates are then redistributed to the top two candidates and the one with the most votes at the end of the process is declared the winner.
When will we know the results of the 2021 PPC elections?
Polling day is on Thursday 6 May and in some areas five or six elections are being held simultaneously with districts, counties, parishes, elected mayors and some planning referendums being held at the same time as the PCC elections.
The first job of electoral administrators, after polls have closed at 10pm, would be to check the ballot boxes to ensure they contain the expected number of votes and to sort out all the different ballots which are usually printed on different coloured paper.
Only then can counting the results begin and because of Covid social distance and hygiene measures, it is expected the whole process will take much longer than normal.
Bedfordshire is counting the PCC votes on Friday 7 May
Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk are counting on Saturday 8 May
Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Thames Valley are counting on Monday 10 May
The deadline to register to vote in the May local elections is 19 April 2021
Local elections in the East to go ahead - but voters must bring own pencil