Elections 2021: Conservative Peter McCall re-elected Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner

Conservative Peter McCall received 56,753 votes and was re-elected Police and Crime Commissioner

Conservative Peter McCall has been re-elected as Cumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for a second term.

He received 56,753 first preference votes with 53.57% of the vote share to win in the first round.

Labour's Barbara Cannon polled 27,687 votes and the Liberal Democrat candidate Lorraine Birchall had 21,506.

The responsibilities of the PCC include setting Cumbria Constabulary's priorities, overseeing its budget and hiring its chief constable.

Turnout for the election, which was held on Thursday, was 27.6%.

Apart from a handful of by-elections in vacated seats, local elections in Cumbria were cancelled while the government decides how it might restructure the county's seven councils.

Mr McCall, who was first elected in May 2016, said he was "delighted" with the win and claimed that party politics "almost sits aside" once an election was over.

"What it does give us though is the advantage that on my phone I have got the home secretary's number, I have the policing minister's number, so we can work together in order to get the best for residents in Cumbria," he said.

"We are looking at a really busy summer for policing... getting more officers in and then making sure that we are using them in exactly the right place and time."

The first Cumbria PCC was elected in November 2012, which was also held by the Conservatives.

The elections had been due to take place in May 2020 but were delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

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