Staffordshire PFCC election sees Conservative hold

Turnout in the election won by incumbent Ben Adams, Conservative, was under 20%

Conservative Ben Adams has retained his position as Staffordshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner with a small majority over Labour.

Ben Adams, who had been in the role since 2021, was re-elected with 73,500 votes, beating Labour's candidate Alastair Watson who received 70,128 votes.

The commissioner has the power to appoint and sack the force's chief constable, set policing priorities and hold the force to account.

And as the title suggests in Staffordshire, the incumbent additionally scrutinises the local fire service.

Turnout in the 2024 election was just 19.23% – behind 2021's turnout of 28.9%.

• Follow live coverage of the election results across the country

Mr Adams also beat Alec Sandiford, who represented the Liberal Democrats, to retain his position.

"I'm feeling relieved, as that was a close call," said Mr Adams.

The votes cast were as follows:

• Ben Adams (Conservative) 73,500

• Alastair Watson (Labour) 70,128

• Alec Sandiford (Liberal Democrats) 17,666

In his acceptance speech, Mr Adams said there was "clearly national politics playing out at a very local level".

He said: "It's about what residents need and deserve, and just maintaining that distance from the bigger-picture stories is quite difficult.

"I'm hopeful that in the next four years people will see our police and fire services continue to improve.

"I believe in the summer we're going to hear from His Majesty's Inspectors that they believe they are on a journey to being excellent."

The force is currently in special measures, but is expected to exit that in the coming months.