Who will replace Philip Allott as North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner – Five candidates are up for election

Five candidates have confirmed they are seeking your vote to replace Philip Allott as the person who oversees police and fire services here in North Yorkshire.

Mr Allott resigned after his comments about the murder of Sarah Everard which led to thousands of signatures on a petition and hundreds of public complaints to his office.

He tried to remain in post but resigned after a vote of no confidence by the county’s crime panel.

The election for a new commissioner will take place on Thursday 25 November.

Janet Waggott, Police Area Returning Officer (PARO), said: “Polling cards will be arriving shortly, and I urge all our residents to take this opportunity to have their say on who is elected to this role. 

“Covid remains an important consideration and we’re putting arrangements in place to help you stay safe at the polling station; such as hand sanitiser and face masks.”

Keith Tordoff MBE, who stood as an Independent candidate in the May election has confirmed that he will again stand.

He is a former Police Officer, a businessman and a volunteer community leader and says we should keep politics out of Policing and the Fire Services.

Conservative candidate Zoe Metcalfe is a councillor on Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, and also works as project manager for a property company.

She said her campaign “will focus on improving safety for women and girls across North Yorkshire, supporting victims of crime and tackling serious and organised crime”.

Emma Scott-Spivey, Labour, is a student paramedic, the daughter of two police officers and lives in Thirsk.

She said she wanted to rebuild trust in the role of commissioner and would put “people above party politics”.

RAF veteran James Barker, Liberal Democrats, has served as a councillor in York since 2019.

He said following the resignation of Philip Allott there was work to do to “rebuild the trust lost with victims’ groups, women’s groups and the public at large”.

Dr Hannah Barham-Brown is a GP trainee in Yorkshire, Council Member of the British Medical Association and Deputy Leader of the Women’s Equality Party.

She said, if elected, she would call for an independent inquiry into misogyny and sexism in North Yorkshire Police.