Polls open in crime commissioner by-election
Voters were today urged to go to the polls and choose a new police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands, amid fears it could be the lowest turnout for years.
The election was called following the sudden death of Labour's Bob Jones in July but legislation that created the post has been heavily criticised because it required a vacancy be filled within seven weeks.
It means the election is taking place when many voters are away on holiday.
The original elections that created the posts in 2012 suffered from low turnout. They took place in November and many people blamed a lack of information for not expressing a preference.
The counts will take place tomorrow.
The West Midlands has four candidates - Labour's David Jamieson, Conservative Les Jones, Liberal Democrat Ayoub Khan and UKIP's Keith Rowe.
The winner will have the power to hold West Midlands Police chief constable Chris Sims to account and to set force budgets.
Councillor Darren Cooper, chairman of the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel, which oversees the commissioner's work, said: "This is an important election and I urge everyone who is eligible to vote to do so.
"It will determine who is politically accountable for the police for the next two years.
"This is an election nobody wanted to have. And is one that no-one thinks should be held now.
"But the law says it must be now.
"We're voting for the person who will hold the chief constable to account for his actions and for the way policing policy is delivered across the West Midlands.
"This is not a role that is anything to do with the day to day operations of the police. That is a matter for the chief constable and the police themselves."
The winner of today's election will have to continue working to cope with £126 million of budget cuts.
Mr Jones, from Wolverhampton, died suddenly in his sleep in July.
He had disagreed with the idea of police and crime commissioners but ran for the post because he believed his experience on the former police authority the post replaced made him the best person for the job.
His deputy commissioner Yvonne Mosquito is covering his duties until after the by-election.
Polling stations in the West Midlands are open until 10pm.
