THE Police and Crime Commissioner has issued a statement confirming upcoming PCC election in May is still taking place.
PCC Simon Foster has said announcements by the Mayor, which said the Home Secretary had approved his plans to transfer the current PCC powers to his office after the next election, misled the public into believing the PCC election was to be cancelled.
The government has recently launched a last-minute public consultation, asking the public if they want the transfer to go ahead.
Mr Foster said: “I’m concerned the Mayor and the Home Secretary have confused and misled the public by announcing a public consultation after a decision had already been made by the Home Secretary.
“By announcing that the Home Secretary had approved the transfer of PCC powers to the Mayor, this has undermined the government’s own consultation, because members of the public might reasonably think there is no point responding to a consultation relating to the transfer of PCC powers, if there is to be no PCC election in May.
“It is a matter of serious concern that inexcusably and inexplicably, neither the Mayor nor the Home Secretary have sought to correct the previously misleading impression they both gave to the public, that there is to be no PCC election in May.”
