People interested in being a candidate or agent in the first ever Police and Crime Commissioner elections for Staffordshire are being invited to a briefing session.
The briefing will provide an overview of:
- Standing as a candidate and the nomination process.
- The election timetable and key events.
- Postal voting arrangements.
- The election campaign and spending.
- The role of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
The session will take place at 10am on Thursday, 27 September in Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s council chamber, Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke.
Police and Crime Commissioners are new, elected roles, which will replace local police authorities. They will not run the police, but will be responsible for holding the chief constable to account on behalf of the public. They will be able to produce a police and crime plan, setting out local policing priorities; set the local policing budget and decide how money will be spent; and appoint and remove chief constables.
To be able to stand as a candidate for the Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner elections on Thursday, 15 November, a person must:
- Be at least 18 years old on the day of nomination.
- Be a British or Irish citizen, and eligible Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of any other European Union member state.
- Be registered as a local government elector in a local authority area in the Staffordshire Police area – both at the time of nomination and on polling day.
A person cannot stand for election if on the day of nomination and on polling day they have:
- Been nominated as a candidate at a Police and Crime Commissioner election taking place on the same day for a different police area.
- Ever been convicted of an imprisonable offence (even if they were not imprisoned or the conviction has been spent).
The full range of disqualifications is complex and there are other reasons which may prevent a person from standing as a candidate.
Paul Hackney, Police Area Returning Officer for Staffordshire, said: “We know there may be people thinking of being a candidate in the Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner elections. The briefing will help people understand the process and get a clearer idea of what to expect if they do become a candidate or agent for the elections. I’d encourage anyone who is interested to get in touch and come along to the briefing session.”
Anyone who would like to attend can send their details to Paul Hackney, Police Area Returning Officer, by writing to him at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke, ST4 1RG; emailing paul.hackney@stoke.gov.uk; or calling 01782 232610
4 comments
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Alex
September 20, 2012 at 11:02 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Currently the Chief Constable is democratically accountable to no one for the way he polices the area and the only way of getting rid of a bad one is catching him with his fingers in the till.
Originally I was optimistic that someone would be in a position to see that the area is policed in the way that local people want and not in a way that was administratively convenient for Chief Constable. Then I saw that the candidates were the same old stagers from the ineffectual Police Authority and I feel very deflated. This outcome was predictable, I suppose, since the high deposit ensures that only someone with the support of a large political party can afford to put their name forward.
Alan Barrett
September 20, 2012 at 12:19 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Indeed – £5,000 just to stand is an impossible target for most, let alone in a recession. It's a stitch up by the government again. Disgusting.
Matt
September 21, 2012 at 1:33 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Alan – Who can afford £5,000? Criminals? It could end in tears.
Alan Barrett
September 21, 2012 at 12:06 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
hahaha – very true, Matt. I bet they never thought of that. Having said that, those making up the rules are little more than criminals themselves.