Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Election Thursday 2 May 2024

View the overview for all elections on 02 May 2024

Background

There will be an election for the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, on Thursday 2 May 2024, across Essex.

The Chief Executive for Colchester City Council, Pam Donnelly, has been appointed as the Police Area Returning Officer.

There is one Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for the whole of Essex.

A Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) is an elected representative responsible for overseeing both police and fire services.

The Policing and Crime Act 2017, which amended the 2011 Act, enabled Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to take over governance of the local fire and rescue service. PCCs with these additional responsibilities are called Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners (PFCCs). Essex is one of four areas across England with a PFCC.

Scheduled elections are held every four years for PFCCs or PCCs. The last elections were held in 2021, after being postponed by 12 months due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Standing at this election?

Information and guidance for potential Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Candidates is available on the Electoral Commission website. Specific guidance on completing the relevant nomination forms is also available.

Any prospective candidate should email elections@colchester.gov.uk to arrange an appointment to submit their nomination. It is also preferable for a draft copy of nominations to be submitted via email before formal submission of any nominations. 

Completed nomination forms together with the required deposit must be submitted in person. They must be submitted to the Police Area Returning Officer at Colchester Town Hall, High Street, Colchester CO1 1PJ. Nominations can be submitted on any working day, Monday to Friday, from Monday 25 March between 10 am and 4 pm but no later than 4pm Friday 5 April.

A briefing for prospective candidates and agents will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams on the morning of Friday 8 March starting at 9am. If you wish to attend email elections@colchester.gov.uk

• PARO’s guidance to candidates and agents
• DLUHC guidance on the choosemypcc web uploader 

Election notices

• Notice of election
• Election agents for the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for the Essex Area
• Statement of persons nominated for the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for the Essex Area
• Notice of poll (PDF, 13.1KB)
• Situations of polling station (PDF, 61.4KB)
• Sub-agents' names and offices (PDF, 190KB)

Election timetable

Friday 22 March	Notice of Election published
Monday 25 March	Poll cards dispatched
Friday 05 April 4pm	Candidate nomination deadline
Tuesday 16 April Midnight	Registration to vote deadline
Wednesday 17 April 5pm	Postal vote deadline
Wednesday 24 April 5pm	Proxy vote deadline
Thursday 02 May	Polling day

Verification and count

All votes will be verified overnight following the close of poll at 10pm on Thursday 02 May.

• Colchester City election votes will be counted that same night with the result likely to be declared in the early hours of the morning.
• PFCC election votes will be counted on the afternoon of Friday 03 May, with the results declared that afternoon.

Attendance at the verifications and counts will be via admission ticket from the Returning Officer only and will follow the legal requirements for such attendance.

Information for voters

Who can I vote for?

The details of all nominated candidates will be available on the Statement of Persons Nominated, which will be published at the close of play on Friday 5 April. 

Find further information on who to vote for on Choose My Police and Crime Commissioner.

In the build up to the election, information about prospective candidates may be available online.

Voting

Information and guidance for you as a voter can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website.

You can register to vote online.

If you have registered to vote at your property and have not moved since, you do not need to re-register to vote.

If you are unsure if you are registered, you can contact your local authority to check.

You are required to bring photo ID when voting at a polling station.

Find more information on voter ID requirements.

Postal and proxy votes

If you are unable to vote in person, you can apply for either a postal vote or proxy vote.

Any applications should be made as soon as possible. Postal votes will be sent on 16 April for those who have an existing postal vote or have applied before 28 March.

A second batch of postal votes will be sent on 19 April for those who apply between 28 March and the deadline of 5pm on 19 April.

If you have any queries regarding your status on the register or your postal or proxy vote, you will need to contact your local electoral registration office.