Elections 2021: Tory Lisa Townsend elected as Surrey PCC

Lisa Townsend has become Surrey's third Police and Crime Commissioner

Lisa Townsend has been elected as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Surrey.

The Conservative candidate beat Liberal Democrat Paul Kennedy in a second round run-off.

At the end of the first round Ms Townsend was nearly 43,000 votes ahead.

David Munro, the former army officer who ran successfully as a Conservative in 2016, and was running again as an independent, was eliminated in the first round when he finished fourth.

Also running were Howard Kaye for Labour and Kevin Hurley, Zero Tolerance Policing ex Chief, who were also eliminated in the first round.

Mr Hurley, a former Metropolitan Police officer, had been Surrey's first commissioner, between 2012 and 2016.

Mr Munro Tweeted that he was "sorry not to win, but privileged to serve for five happy years".

Mr Hurley Tweeted "to all those who gave me your support, thank you".

Social distancing measures were in place throughout the count

Ms Townsend holds two law degrees and currently works for the Institute of Directors.

She had previously worked for several MPs at Westminster.

The PCC elections were due to be held in May 2020 but were delayed by the pandemic.

POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONERS: THE BASICS

What's happening? On May 6, most people in England will vote for police and crime commissioners. There are 39 across in England.

What do they do? They are the public face of policing with the power to hire and fire chief constables, acting as a voice for the community, and managing police budgets.