Five candidates vying to be Leicestershire’s new Police and Crime Commissioner - here are the details

Five candidates have put themselves forward to be Leicestershire’s new police and crime commissioner.

Elections will be held next month for the role which sees them hold local police to account and set priorities and strategies for cutting crime and improving community safety.

Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party have all put forward hopefuls for the role. The fifth space on the ballot is taken up by Leicester’s newest political party, One Leicester.

The role is currently held by the Conservative’s Rupert Matthews who took over from Lord Willy Bach in May 2021 after the elections were postponed a year due to Covid. He is again the party’s selection and will be hoping to secure a second term in the role.

His challenger from the Labour Party is Rory Palmer. Mr Palmer previously served as a councillor and later a deputy city mayor in Leicester before becoming a Member of European Parliament.

The Green Party has put forward Aasiya Bora, who previously ran to be a councillor for North Evington, coming in second behind the Conservatives. Ian Sharpe will be running for the Lib Dems.

Mr Sharpe previously served as lead member for finance on Charnwood Borough Council. Fizza Askari is the candidate for One Leicester. One Leicester party leader, former assistant city mayor Rita Patel, described Ms Askari as a “dedicated, knowledgeable and a hardworking woman who will be a strong local voice of the community”.

Residents in Harborough will have the opportunity to vote for their preferred candidate on Thursday, May 2.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Tuesday, April 16. Those wanting to take part in the ballot will need to take a valid form of ID with them.