Labour’s candidate for the South Yorkshire PCC by-election

Today it’s both the Heywood and Middleton and the Clacton by-elections – we’ll be bringing you the results first with our liveblog through the night. But these aren’t the only two by-elections in town (although they are the only two today) – and no, we’re not talking about the Rochester and Strood by-election, the date of which is still to be announced.

Instead, the date you need to put in your diaries is for the by-election for the South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), triggered by Shaun Wright’s resignation. It’s due to take place on the 30th October.

Labour’s candidate is Reverend Dr Alan Billings. Between 1981-1986 Billings was deputy leader of Sheffield council (when David Blunkett was leader). Billings was also a priest in Sheffield and at the moment is director of the Centre for Ethics and Religion at Lancaster University. You might also know him from BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the day, to which he regularly contributes.

Billings said that one of the reasons he wanted to be the Labour PPC was to rebuild trust between the police and the community and to “ensure that all instances of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham are fully investigated with perpetrators brought to justice, officials held to account and victims fully supported”.

The most recent PCC by-election, which Labour won in the West Midlands, saw a turnout of just 10%. Could this be even lower?

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper recently confirmed that a Labour Government would scrap Police and Crime Commissioners.