05/12/12….Councillor to question cost of police commissioner elections

A District Councillor is to quiz SODC’s Cabinet Leader on the cost of the recent election for a Thame Valley Police Crime Commissioner, which attracted a record low turnout for any local election.

Anthony Stansfeld, a Conservative Party candidate, was been elected as the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner on November 15, despite securing the vote of less than 5% of the electorate.

In tabling her question, Cllr Eleonor Hards will refer to a recent Town and Parish Forum were councillors were told that on November 15 one South Oxfordshire polling station had 10 voters over the course of the 15 hours of polling.

She will ask the Cabinet Leader, Ann Ducker, to say “what was the approximate total cost to this council of the
Police and Crime Commissioner elections in terms of staff hours, building hire etc and will this cost be reimbursed by central government?”

the Cabinet meeting is on Thursday, December 13, at 6pm.

IMAGE: Cllr Eleonor Hards, who represents Didcot. Photo courtesy of http://homepage.ntlworld.com/alan.birchall/Didcot_Elections/Eleanor.htm