Staffordshire County Counillor Matthew Ellis, who represents the Lichfield Rural East constituency, has been elected as the first Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire.
Mr Ellis beat off Labour rival Joy Garner in a vote which saw only a minority of the population turnout.
Speaking on his Twitter account, the Conservative politician admitted he was disappointed more people didn’t vote.
“Sad about turnout,” he said. “Thought it would be better from 2,000 email questions and feedback.”
| Candidate | Party | No. of votes | % of votes | % of electorate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Ellis | Conservative | 51,237 | 51.85% | 6.03% |
| Joy Garner | Labour | 47,589 | 48.15% | 5.60% |
The chief constable of Staffordshire Police, Mike Cunningham, congratulated Mr Ellis on his victory in the election.
“I would like to welcome Matthew to the role of Police and Crime commissioner for Staffordshire and look forward to forging a strong relationship as we work to keep the communities of Staffordshire safe and reassured,” he said.
Labour candidate Joy Garner thanked those who had supported her campaign but criticised the timing of the election.
She said: “The cynical decision by this Government to hold this election in winter, and their failure to promote it properly and provide enough information to voters, resulted in a very low turnout and weak mandate for the Police and Crime Commissioner.”
