On May 2nd we are voting for a candidate to become the new Mayor of the East Midlands, as well as for our local Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
It’s now only one week until these elections, and I’ve just voted by post for Ben Bradley for East Midlands Mayor and Angelique Foster to continue as our PCC.
Angelique has done a great job so far as our PCC, recruiting 351 new officers to East Midlands Police – more than her target. Anti-social behaviour has fallen by 50% under her watch, and crimes like burglary in rural areas have reduced by over 25%. She also created a Derbyshire-specific Violence Against Women and Girls strategy which I warmly welcome.
Ben is a great champion for the East Midlands and grew up in Belper. I’ve seen first-hand how determined and deeply committed to the region he is. We meet regularly in and around Mid-Derbyshire – most recently in Belper and Duffield during which he showed his support to grassroots sports clubs dealing with flood risks. It was also good to see his recent support for the Belper Mill UNESCO site. I have no doubt his hard work will bring investment to our region and I am proud to have voted for him this weekend.