Conservative Darryl Preston has narrowly beaten Labour’s Anna Smith to win the race to be Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Police and Crime Commissioner.
It means Mr Preston, a former officer, will return to the post for a second consecutive term.
He secured 61,688 votes (38.1 per cent) across the whole area, compared to Anna Smith’s 58,304 (36 per cent), while Liberal Democrat Edna Murphy finished third with 41,984 voted (25.9 per cent).
Voters went to the polls across the county yesterday to elect the PCC, but higher turnouts were seen in areas where there were also local council elections such as Cambridge, a traditional stronghold for Labour. There, Anna Smith - a Labour city concillor - secured 50 per cent of the vote, with Cllr Murphy - a Lib Dem county councillor for Bar Hill - in second with 25.9 per cent. Mr Preston was left trailing in third in Cambridge, with 24 per cent of the vote.
But he narrowly beat Cllr Smith in Peterborough, where there were also council elections, and powered home with comfortable wins in the traditional Tory stronghold areas of East Cambridgeshire, Fenland and Huntingdonshire.
In South Cambs - a major battleground between the Tories and Lib Dems - he pipped Cllr Murphy to the post, earning 35.8 per cent of the vote, compared to her 35.2 per cent. Here, Cllr Smith was left trailing on 29 per cent.
Labour fell just over 1 per cent short of the required swing from the Tories to secure office.
Cambridge Independent political columnist Phil Rodgers noted: “A key factor was that the Conservatives managed to increase their vote share in Cambridge from last time; while in Peterborough there was more of a swing to the Lib Dems.”
PCCs act as the voice of the people in holding chief constables to account.
Results of the city council election will be announced on Friday afternoon. Look out for our live coverage.
Reaction to follow.
