Keith Tordoff MBE [Ind.] to stand for PFCC again

Keith Tordoff MBE [Ind.] to stand for PFCC again

by Tim Hicks

~~~~~ 

Introduction

Following the resignation of Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner Philip Allott, elections will be held on the 25^th of November 2021 to determine who will be the next Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for North Yorkshire.

If you are not eligible to vote, applications to vote can be made online:

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

In real terms, the PFCC is a more important Officer than that of any local Councillor, having real power over a large budget and critically important services.

The NYE will be running an Election Special consisting of a series of articles covering the election. This will include interviews with all the candidates and coverage of election issues as they arise.

The Candidates

It is unclear who the final list of candidates will be. They have until Friday the 29^th of October to declare.

However, independent candidate Keith Tordoff MBE (pictured above) has indicated to the NYE that he will be running again. He has issued this statement to the NYE: 

“I previously stood in this year’s May election for the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner of North Yorkshire as the only Independent candidate.

I can confirm I will be standing in the election on Thursday 25th November to replace the Commissioner who rightly resigned from the role last week.

As an Independent candidate, if elected I would bring to the role the experience of having been a Police Officer, businessman and volunteer leader in the community.

Vitally important to regain the confidence of women, following the ‘crass’ comments by the previous Commissioner, if elected I pledge to make it a priority to prevent, protect and stop violence against women by men.

I am Independent and if elected I will do everything in my remit to protect the Independence of the Police and Fire Services of North Yorkshire. 

I support oversight of the Police and Fire Services but not political meddling.

If elected I would be working tirelessly for, victims, their families, the Police, Fire Services and people living, working or visiting North Yorkshire.”

What is a PFCC and what does she/he do?

Police & Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are elected officials who were first introduced in 2012. Every Police Force has a PCC, except Greater Manchester and London, where PCC responsibilities lie with the Mayor.

In North Yorkshire, the PCC elected to take responsibility for the Fire & Rescue authority, so North Yorkshire has a PFCC, not a PCC.

The duties of a PFCC are as follows:

Policing responsibilities

The role of the PFCCs is to be the voice of the people and hold the police to account. They are responsible for the totality of policing.

PFCCs aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient Police Service within their Force area.

PFCCs have been elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and the Force to account; theoretically making the Police answerable to the communities they serve.

PCCs ensure community needs are met as effectively as possible, and are improving local relationships through building confidence and restoring trust. They work in partnership across a range of agencies at local and national level to ensure there is a unified approach to preventing and reducing crime.

Under the terms of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, PCCs must:

• secure an efficient and effective police for their area;
• appoint the Chief Constable, hold them to account for running the force, and if necessary dismiss them;
• set the police and crime objectives for their area through a police and crime plan;
• set the force budget and determine the precept;
• contribute to the national and international policing capabilities set out by the Home Secretary;

and

• bring together community safety and criminal justice partners, to make sure local priorities are joined up.

The duties of a PFCC are nicely summarised in the list below.

Fire responsibilities

PFCCs are responsible for:

• putting in place arrangements to deliver an efficient and effective fire and rescue service;
• setting the fire and rescue objectives for their area through a fire and rescue plan;
• appointing the Chief Fire Officer, hold them to account for delivery of objectives, and if necessary dismiss them;

and

• setting the service budget and determining the precept.

The last election

The May 2021 election was also run using proportional representation. The results were as follows:

First Choice Voting:

1. 1. Philip Allott (Conservative) 73,657
   2. Alison Hume (Labour) 40,803
   3. Keith Tordoff MBE (Independent) 22,308
   4. James Barker (Lib Dem) 19,733

No candidate won over 50%, so the second preferences of the Independent and LibDem candidates were distributed to the two leading (Conservative and Labour) candidates, giving this final result:

Second Choice Voting:

• • Conservative 83,737 61%
  • Labour 53,442 39%

The North Yorks Enquirer can confirm that the Conservative candidate for the up-coming election for North Yorkshire Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner is:

County Councillor Zoe METCALFE [Con.] – Knaresborough Division – NYCC