Tory wins third term as PCC by just 261 votes

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Philip Seccombe has been Warwickshire police and crime commissioner since 2016



Conservative Philip Seccombe has very narrowly been re-elected for a third term as Warwickshire's police and crime commissioner (PCC) by just 261 votes.

Mr Seccombe received 45,638 votes, while Labour candidate Sarah Feeney came just behind with 45,377. Liberal Democrat Richard Dickson came third with 24,867 votes.

The win is in stark contrast to 2021 when he had a majority of over 40,000 - winning with 85,963 votes, ahead of 45,768 for Labour's Ben Twomey.

Mr Seccombe was first elected as the PCC in 2016.

He said he felt relieved after a “very close” race, but added the low turnout was “disappointing for all political parties”.

He said the national mood was a factor in his reduced majority.

“Our party has been through a bad couple of nights,” he added, but said the PCC campaign had “been fought mainly on local issues by the three candidates”.

Mr Seccombe said his victory would give Tory MPs in the county “some encouragement that we can win in Warwickshire”.

He took over from independent Ron Ball, who did not stand for re-election after becoming the area's first police and crime commissioner in 2012.

Mr Seccombe said his key priorities were to maximise the number of police officers serving the county and to ensure victims and witnesses are at the heart of the criminal justice system.

He is a chartered surveyor, and previously served as a councillor on Stratford-on-Avon District Council between 2002 and 2017.

He also served with the Territorial Army (now Army Reserve) for 25 years, commanding his regiment and reaching the rank of colonel.

He has also been chairman of the West Midlands Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association and chairman of the Warwickshire Army Benevolent Fund.

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PCC denies accepting hunting lobby cash



The police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Warwickshire has denied accepting money from a lobbying organisation over the issue of trail hunting.

Conservative PCC Philip Seccombe spoke to BBC Midlands Today after the claim was made in the House of Commons earlier this week by the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, Matt Western.

The MP also described a review by the commissioner's office into Warwickshire Police's handling of the Warwickshire Hunt as a "sham".

Mr Seccombe said he was “very concerned” by the MP’s remarks in Parliament.

“Parliamentary privilege is a privilege and I think all members of Parliament should say the truth,” Mr Seccombe said.

“There was an allegation he made that I received funding from the Countryside Alliance - absolutely not true - and I'm also concerned about his opinion of our independent review going on into hunting in Warwickshire.”

The commissioner himself ordered the review, but Mr Western claimed it was not independent and described it as a sham.

Mr Seccombe said: “It's part of my role to hold Warwickshire Police to account, so we have appointed an independent reviewer who has experience of policing governance to look into it and there are no limits to who he can talk to.”

The MP’s intervention has been welcomed by anti-hunt activists, however, including Cathy Scott from Warwickshire.

She said she wanted the review to be further separated from the commissioner, and added that she had spent years trying to get answers from both his office and from Warwickshire Police.

“Freedom of Information requests have consistently gone in to Warwickshire Police and consistently everyone is being stonewalled,” she said.

“We are receiving no responses or they use the exemption 32 which means that it's not in the public interest so they won't divulge.

“How are the public to know and have trust in their police and crime commissioner and in their local police force when simple questions just aren't being answered.”

Mr Western has refused to back down from his earlier comments.

“I’m going to leave it to the public inquiry that I have called for to find out what is going on,” Mr Western said.

“This is about trust and confidence in Warwickshire Police and the police and crime commissioner.”