PCC elections: Who will you choose to oversee Nottinghamshire policing?

On the same day, voters across Nottinghamshire will also be voting their new Police and Crime Commissioner.

Unlike with the county council, for the Dispatch area this will see voters in both Hucknall and Bulwell taking part in the ballot.

Bulwell voters are not voting in the county council election as Bulwell comes under the remit of the separate Nottingham City Council, which is not holding elections this year.

But the PCC election applies to the whole county so everyone will casting their ballot in the poll.

There are three candidates for the post in Nottinghamshire – Paddy Tipping (Labour), Caroline Henry (Conservaties) and David Watt (Liberal Democrats).

This is the first time the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have both fielded candidates in the same Nottinghamshire PCC elections.

Mr Tipping is a former Labour MP for Sherwood who has been Nottinghamshire’s PCC ever since the post was first created back in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016.

Mrs Henry is a Nottinghamshire businesswoman and the wife of current Broxtowe MP Darren Henry.

Mr Watts is Nottinghamshire solicitor and also represents Bramcote on Broxtowe Borough Council.

The PCC role was created by the coalition government back in 2012 to replace the old police authorites.

PCCs are responsible for policing in their counties and to hold chief constables and the force to account, effectively making the police answerable to the communities they serve.