Matthew Grove beats John Prescott to become first Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner (video)
CONSERVATIVE candidate Matthew Grove has been elected as the first Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner.
The East Riding councillor beat the former Labour Deputy Prime Minister by just over 2,000 votes.
Mr Grove will now begin his term of office on Thursday, with a salary of £75,000-a-year.
He will be responsible for the force's £180m budget and setting its priorities.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013
Mr Grove said: "The real work begins now.
"I have to make sure I fight to drive down crime without taking any more money out of people's pockets
Mr Grove called Lord Prescott a "gentleman".
"I have enjoyed his company. It's a shame I had to beat him, but it had to be done."
Conceding the election, Lord Prescott wished Mr Grove well in the role.
He said: "Good luck in the job - we'll all be watching you."
The former deputy prime minister said he had "reduced a 30,000 Tory majority in the area to 2,000" and warned against the "privatisation of the police".
Turnout was 19.48 per cent across the entire Humberside policing area.
This broke down to a turnout of 16.18 per cent in North East Lincolnshire, 20.36 per cent in North Lincolnshire, 15.65 per cent in Hull and 23.19 per cent in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
After all the first preference votes had been counted, the results stood as follows:
Godfrey Bloom (UKIP) 21,484
Simone Butterworth (Lib Dem) 11,655
Paul Davison (Ind) 28,307
Neil Eyre (Ind) 3,976
Matthew Grove (Con) 29,440
John Prescott (Lab) 33,282
Walter Sweeney (Ind) 5,118
As no candidate gained more than 50 per cent of the vote, second preferences were the deciding factor.
As the top two candidates, Lord Prescott and Mr Grove went through to the second round.
Though Lord Prescott was ahead for most of a tense final count, Mr Grove gained a large number of second preference votes in the East Riding.
This ensured Mr Grove won the election with a total of 42,164 votes with Lord Prescott trailing on 39,933.
Updates from the count at The Spa in Bridlington:
Comments
by markus250666
Saturday, November 17 2012, 5:24PM
“Egg on your face it is then Mr Prescot
LOL”
by longjohn48
Saturday, November 17 2012, 2:35PM
“You see Adulterers and thugs don't get the top jobs do they, and Prescot looks like he's chewing a wasp!!!!!!!!GREAT RESULT”
by Dexxx
Saturday, November 17 2012, 1:59PM
“Lets hope the next time there is a vote on PCCs the electorate realise these are NOT political appointments and should be contested by intelligent and worldly wise candidates only”
by williampink
Saturday, November 17 2012, 12:18PM
“Government outlawed voting system. low turnout.The horse that comes in second wins the race. Is this good for democracy.”
by HattyTood
Saturday, November 17 2012, 11:45AM
“Good result - Prescott didn't win
I've got absolutely no idea about the chap that DID win, the same as (apart from what I read on here) I have no idea about the other candidates.
Rest assured I do know of Mr Prescott though, I don't think anyone can say they've never heard of him.
If Prescott did anything for this election it was to raise - yes raise - the turnout due to people deciding to go and vote against him.
The chap that won now has to ensure he doesn't end up as Prescott Mk2, he's just seen how that will ruin his future”
by jack_knife
Saturday, November 17 2012, 11:39AM
“oops, my computer took over from my fingers, sorry!
I'll start again.
Very, very BAD result, a Tory got in.
Very, very BAD result, Paul Davidson DIDN'T win.
EXCELLENT result, Bloomers got 'kicked into touch.'
Prescott? Well, he would have been better than a Tory.”
by jack_knife
Saturday, November 17 2012, 11:33AM
“Very, very BAD result, we've got a Tory PCC.
Very, very BAD result, Paul Davidson DIDN'T win.
E”
by Gaston_J
Saturday, November 17 2012, 10:49AM
“As UK ballot papers do not include a, "None of the Above", option, the only way of registering dissatisfaction with all of the candidates, and possibly the whole concept, is by not voting.
Is it possible that 85% of the population nationally, and ca 80% of the population of the Humberside area, felt that either none of candidates was worth voting for, or that the idea of a Police Commissioner rather than the Authority that he/she was to replace, was flawed from the outset.
It will be difficult for the political commentators to decide whether voter apathy, voter dissatisfaction, or lack of knowledge was the cause of the low turnout.”
by phantom2012
Saturday, November 17 2012, 10:01AM
“Prescott is despised on the south bank, no one wanted his snout in the trough, great to see him lose to anyone.....!”
by TimothyIngbit
Saturday, November 17 2012, 9:11AM
“Excellent comment from Crispydancer, and the concequences of the malaise he discusses are going to be very severe indeed. Whatever the politicians may promise us the truth is they are no longer in charge. The mathematics are. They have spent so many years jamming so much debt into the system to pay for their socialist utopia we are left with a stagnant economy kept on life support by central bank money printing and creative accounting. The rebalancing will come one way or another, and the state baby bottle will be removed.
I did vote in this election, but I do not believe regional commissioners will address the main problems of inadequate sentencing and crazy "human rights" legislation that prevent us from managing our own affairs in these matters.”