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| Major flaws in police commissioner polls | Major flaws in police commissioner polls |
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| Your article on the lack of information to voters in the police and crime commissioner elections (Helpline for would-be voters is useless, claims whistleblower, 9 November) highlights significant flaws in the process. Your report quotes ministers confirming that the cost of conducting them will be £75m but claiming that providing information about candidates to voters would have cost an additional £35m. This is not so. In a written parliamentary answer to me in March, Lord Henley confirmed that the cost of providing a booklet of election addresses to every elector (as in mayoral elections) would be approximately £12m. | Your article on the lack of information to voters in the police and crime commissioner elections (Helpline for would-be voters is useless, claims whistleblower, 9 November) highlights significant flaws in the process. Your report quotes ministers confirming that the cost of conducting them will be £75m but claiming that providing information about candidates to voters would have cost an additional £35m. This is not so. In a written parliamentary answer to me in March, Lord Henley confirmed that the cost of providing a booklet of election addresses to every elector (as in mayoral elections) would be approximately £12m. |
| The cost of producing such a booklet in unaddressed format and delivered to every household would have been substantially less. If a claim about the merits of democratic elections is to be made, all voters should have access to information about candidates. The government has not satisfactorily explained why such information should be made available about mayoral candidates (as in Bristol this Thursday) but not for those seeking to be police and crime commissioners. Chris Rennard Liberal Democrat, House of Lords | The cost of producing such a booklet in unaddressed format and delivered to every household would have been substantially less. If a claim about the merits of democratic elections is to be made, all voters should have access to information about candidates. The government has not satisfactorily explained why such information should be made available about mayoral candidates (as in Bristol this Thursday) but not for those seeking to be police and crime commissioners. Chris Rennard Liberal Democrat, House of Lords |
| • In the police commissioner elections, enormous power is being placed in the hands of individuals, with little check during their term of office. Better public accountability could have been achieved by opening up existing police authorities, where decisions are at least taken by a team with a range of viewpoints and expertise. On Thursday I will spoil my ballot paper, writing on it that "I refuse to vote for either of these candidates … Keep party politics out of policing!" Ruth Eagle Crewe | • In the police commissioner elections, enormous power is being placed in the hands of individuals, with little check during their term of office. Better public accountability could have been achieved by opening up existing police authorities, where decisions are at least taken by a team with a range of viewpoints and expertise. On Thursday I will spoil my ballot paper, writing on it that "I refuse to vote for either of these candidates … Keep party politics out of policing!" Ruth Eagle Crewe |
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