Police Commisioner Elections : November 2012

[Die-hard Clockworkfan]

CLEVELAND
Middlesbrough councillor Sajaad Khan is running for the Labour ticket, along with his council colleague Barry Coppinger, who sat on the police authority for eight years.

The area’s two independent elected mayors could both be contenders. Stuart Drummond, mayor of Hartlepool, told me a few weeks ago that he hadn’t even thought about it yet.  A spokesman for Ray Mallon, the mayor of Middlesbrough (and a former police inspector) said it was 50-50 whether he’d stand.  Under the rules either man could carry on being mayor as well as serve as elected police commissioner.

Ray Mallon as police commissioner for Cleveland.  Cat, meet pigeons.

GREATER MANCHESTER

Former drag queen and English Democrat parliamentary candidate Michael Felse plans to run as an Independent.

(facepalm)

These are intended to be people with real power.  I don't want my police force to be run by a drag act.

[YL]

Tony Lloyd selected as Labour candidate for Greater Manchester:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-17416309

Does he have to stand down as an MP to stand or only if he wins?

[Andrea]

I think Labour NEC (actually one of its subcommittees) decided last week that their MPs selected as PC (or Mayoral) candidates will have to stand down before the election

[YL]

I think Labour NEC (actually one of its subcommittees) decided last week that their MPs selected as PC (or Mayoral) candidates will have to stand down before the election

OK, so we have a Manchester Central by-election to look forward to.  My guess would be that Labour's plan will be to hold it on the same day as the Police Commissioner election in November.

[YL]

The Police Foundation has a list of speculated/confirmed/shortlisted candidates:
http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/files/POLICE0001/policy%20work/PCC%20candidates.pdf

The information seems most comprehensive about Labour.  I presume we will actually have non-Labour candidates in South Yorks, though whether there are any who are more than paper candidates remains to be seen.

[You kip if you want to...]

Got my primary ballot today. Great.

[You kip if you want to...]

Just voted online, forgot today was the ballot deadline!

Voted for Jane Kennedy, not that i'm enthusiastic for either candidate. I'll be living at uni in November anyway.

[Andrea]

Just voted online, forgot today was the ballot deadline!

Voted for Jane Kennedy, not that i'm enthusiastic for either candidate. I'll be living at uni in November anyway.

I think they moved the deadline to Friday (at least they did it for NEC/NPF elections). LabourList thinks PC results will be available on Sunday (they will be announced by the regional parties, so they won't pop up all together at the same time).

[Andrea]

First Tory candidates being selected this weekend

Avon & Somerset: Ken Maddock (former Somerset Council Leader)
Warwickshire: Fraser Pithi (a former special constable and county councillor)
Northamptonshire: Adam Simmonds (a county council officer)

Hampshire final 2: former MP Michael Mates and Portsmouth Cllr Donna Jones

[Sibboleth]

former MP Michael Mates

Srsly?

[Andrea]

One person trying to get the Labour nomination in South Yorkshire (where you have to assume that the Labour nomination is a pretty good start at winning the election) is former Chief Constable of the force Meredydd Hughes.

Rotherham Cllr Shaun Wright has won Labour nomination today.
Harriet Yeo (Ashford Cllr/NEC member in the trade union section) has won the Kent selection

[Andrea]

Labour selection results

Avon and Somerset: Ashford 891 Savage 505

Bedfordshire: Martins 511 Heffernan 190   
          
Cambridgeshire: Ed Murphy 265 Rogers 241    

Cheshire: Stockton 471 Carter 375
     
Cleveland: Coppinger 523 Brash 157

Cumbria: Leonard 225 Boaden 190

Derbyshire: Charles 695 Dhindsa 365 Salt 133

Devon and Cornwall: Nicky Williams 591 Canavan 312
     
Dyfed Powys: Christine Gwyther unopposed   

Dorset: Rachel Rogers unopposed

Durham       
Round 1: Hogg 423 Dixon 330 Thompson 311       
Round 2: Hogg 536 Dixon 427    

Essex: Cook 449 Newell 355        

Gloucestershire: Rupi Dhanda unopposed
          
Greater Manchester: Lloyd unopposed
       
Gwent: Sandison 494 Worrad 306

Hampshire: Rayment 576 Hagger 335         

Hertfordshire: Sherma Batson unopposed   

Humberside: Prescott 552 Hunter 458

Kent: Yeo 711 Bates 241     

Lancashire
Round 1:  Grunshaw 820 Master 532 Atkinson 342
Round 2: Grunshaw 966 Master 663
Leicestershire: Sarah Russel unopposed

Lincolnshire: Dilks 218 Gleeson 97

Merseyside         
Round 1: Kennedy 892 Kilfoyle 745 Weightman 254
Round 2: Kennedy 974 Kilfoyle 833

Norfolk: Morphew 337 Burke 232         

Northamptonshire: Barron 212 Caseman-Jones 176

Northumbria: Baird 1921 Foster 635   
   
North Wales: Tal Michael 548 Hanson 276     

North Yorkshire: Ruth Potter unopposed

Nottinghamshire:Tipping 892 Mohammed 841

Surrey: Robert Evans unopposed     
          
Sussex: Daniel 679 Richards 554         

Staffordshire: Garner 402 votes Poulter 351   

South Wales: Alun Michael 1142 Cannon 1058  

South Yorkshire
Round 1 Wright 972 Walaya 622 Billings 461 Hughes 382
Round 2 Wright 116 Walays 671 Billings 592
Round 3 Wright 1353 Walaya 861

Suffolk: Jane Basham unopposed
       
Thames Valley: Starkey 614 Harvey 590   
   
Warwickshire: Plaskitt 291 Edwards 102
   
West Mercia: Simon Murphy unopposed
      
West Midlands: Jones 1580 Mosquito 827

West Yorkshire: Mark Burns Williamson unopposed

Wiltshire: Clare Moody unopposed

[Sibboleth]

Yeah, North Wales selection was never going to be close.

[Andrea]

All Labour results now in.

It was much closer for Michael Sr than Michael Jr.
Former MPs trying a comeback: Prescott, Jane Kennedy (who beated Peter Kilfoyle), Vera Baird (the Redcar one), Paddy Tipping (close result in Nottinghamshire), James Plaskitt.
2 sitting MPs going for it: Alun Michael and Tony Lloyd.

Women in winnable areas: Jane Kennedy, Sarah Russell, Vera Baird..and I think that's it. Ken may be a step still too far for Labour.

Some were a bit surprised by Jones beating Mosquito in West Midlands but I think she got very few votes outside Birmingham and I wouldn't be surprised if not all Birmingham communities supported her.

[Andrea]

former MP Michael Mates

Srsly?

and won selection

[Sibboleth]

former MP Michael Mates

Srsly?

and won selection

[State Comptroller Atkins]

http://www7.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2012/07/13/whose-bright-idea-was-elected-police-and-crime-commissioners/

[Vasall des Midas]

No one's, unless you're using a rather odd definition of "bright".

[So the Heroes Fall]

Wow. This might be even stupider than electing judges. The only other office I've heard that it's even stupider to elect that some places do is coroner (even more amusingly it's sometimes a partisan position, just like this.)

[Sibboleth]

I'm giving some thought to making a few 'Burrell for Police Commissioner' signs.

[Harry Hayfield]

The way things are going in Dyfed Powys Nicholas Bourne (Con) Christine Gwyther (Lab) Helen Mary Jones (Plaid) James Adams (Ind) I am getting more and more tempted to cast the ultimate spolit ballot

First Preference: Adams 4 Bourne 4 Gwyther 4 Mary Jones 4
Second Preference: Adams 4 Bourne 4 Gwyther 4 Mary Jones 4

In other words, these elections should be scrapped the whole leglisation reviewed in Parliament as soon as possible

[Leftbehind]

I'm opting for abstention, in the hope that ridiculously low turnouts will discredit them (if they even need to be).

[Sibboleth]

Wow. This might be even stupider than electing judges. The only other office I've heard that it's even stupider to elect that some places do is coroner (even more amusingly it's sometimes a partisan position, just like this.)

It is incredibly stupid, but perhaps not quite as incredibly so as it might look to American eyes: the position being elected is to be responsible for oversight of local policing policy, and not the equivalent of a police commissioner in America (or, you know, London).

[YL]

The Labour candidate in Avon and Somerset has been forced to withdraw because of two minor offences he was convicted of at the age of 13, 46 years ago.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/aug/08/bob-ashford-labour-police-commissioner

[Vasall des Midas]

I tend to think that the position should be open to ex-cons only.