Voters to go to the polls for Plymouth, Exeter and PCC elections

The police commissioner election follows a troubled period for Devon and Cornwall Police

Voters across Devon and Cornwall will get the chance to choose a new police and crime commissioner (PCC) on 2 May.

Plymouth and Exeter residents will also have the opportunity to elect city councillors, with a third of the seats up for grabs in each city.

Both cities are currently run by Labour administrations.

The PCC election follows a troubled period for Devon and Cornwall Police which had been put in special measures and had its chief constable suspended.

Labour has controlled Exeter City Council for more than a decade

Last year, a coroner criticised Devon and Cornwall Police for "catastrophic failure" in the way it handled the firearms licence of Jake Davison who shot dead five people in Plymouth in summer 2021.

Conservative candidates have won every Devon and Cornwall PCC election - with Labour as the main challenger - since the role was created in 2012.

Labour has controlled Exeter City Council for more than a decade and its huge majority dwarfs all the other parties.

Plymouth City Council has had a Labour majority since May 2023 when it took the council out of no overall control.

Historically, Labour and the Conservatives vie for control in Plymouth

Historically, Labour and the Conservatives vie for control in Plymouth.

Despite their strength on the region's rural councils, the Liberal Democrats have a poor electoral track record in Plymouth and Exeter.

There have been no Lib-Dem councillors in Plymouth for many years now, while there are only three in Exeter.

By contrast, the Green Party has made inroads in both cities recently.

With six councillors on Exeter City Council, the Greens are now the second biggest party on the authority.