Lincolnshire PCC says giving mayor more powers would ensure county has the ‘loudest voice’

Marc Jones (Conservative) said he would support Dame Andrea Jenkyns (Reform UK), Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, being handed greater powers over Lincolnshire Police.

Mr Jones is set to lose his job after the government announced it would be scrapping PCCs – a move which is expected to save £1 million over this parliament’s term.

Under the plans, directly-elected mayors would be handed the powers of PCCs which include setting an annual budget, appointing chief constables and developing a policing action plan.

At a Lincolnshire Police and Crime Panel meeting on Friday, December 12, Mr Jones said: “I would very much support that because I think the lack of democratic accountability is a significant problem and I would very much support a Greater Lincolnshire Mayor having that responsibility in that way.

“That at least provides a very loud lobbying voice on behalf of our county to the government to stand up for the people of Lincolnshire, to challenge the force to do its very best work. That at least is democratic.”

But Mr Jones went on to warn that if Lincolnshire Police didn’t have any form of democratic governance structure, it would lose its “lobbying powers” to the government.

He added that he wanted Lincolnshire residents to have the “loudest voice” in how the police force is run.

Dame Andrea Jenkyns previously welcomed the government’s plan to scrap PCCs when the announcement was made.

Ms Jenkyns said that transferring the powers to the mayor and the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority would ensure that decisions would be made “closer to the communities they affect”.