Discussions of May 2016 as the first real test of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour party focus on local council elections but rarely mention another election taking place on the same day: that of the country’s police and crime commissioners.
Andy Burnham’s quick acceptance upon assuming the role of shadow home secretary, that PCCs are ‘here to stay‘, was welcome after years of Labour refusing to embrace the position even as 13 Labour PCCs across England and Wales were doing excellent work improving policing in our communities.
Grudgingly going into the PCC elections still disputing their existence would have been disrespectful and damaging for our candidate’s chances of re-election. Now they are an accepted part of the political landscape it is our responsibility to ensure we win and get as many Labour PCCs get elected as possible.
In 2012 we won the popular vote but still finished second to the Conservatives even in the year of George Osborne’s infamous ‘omnishambles’ budget. With 16 Conservatives PCCs and 13 Labour ones, a swing of just two seats would mean a crucial electoral win for Jeremy Corbyn.
Much will depend on how these elections tie in to local election voting patterns, whether the Tories can minimise the fallout over cuts to working tax credits – which take effect the month before the election – and how voters respond to a Corbyn-led Labour party.
In the longer term Labour needs to seriously consider its approach to directly elected politicians such as metro mayors and PCCs. Dragging our heels on whether they should exist risks us taking leave of the debate about how they should exist.
Meanwhile, crime continues to be a concern to the public, more so than education and low pay. Burnham’s new campaign against more police cuts gives some clarity to Labour’s doorstep offer in this area but we need to make sure it does not become a traditional campaign led by the shadow home secretary, and PCCs again being part of the supporting cast in the run-up to their own election.
There is still plenty of time for Labour to push some PCC-specific campaigning. Some Labour PCCs, such as West Yorkshire’s Mark Burns-Williamson, are campaigning to keep all money recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act instead of being forced to hand half over to the Treasury. Asking the public if they think money recovered from criminals should stay in the community it was stolen from is an easy sell that will allow Labour PCC and council candidates at the next election to highlight successfully funded projects in every community. In less than two years Bradford alone has received funding for over 50 projects across the district.
Only now, three years after they were first elected, has the Labour party accepted the office of police and crime commissioners. It is time to step up our thinking and campaigning on this crucial role in our communities.
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Alex Ross-Shaw is a councillor on Bradford council. He tweets @Alex_Ross_Shaw