Police commissioner quits with immediate effect

A police and crime commissioner (PCC) has resigned her role overseeing the work of the local police force with immediate effect.

Norfolk commissioner Sarah Taylor said she was stepping down because "an immediate family member" had been diagnosed with a life-changing condition.

Elected in 2024 while standing for Labour, Taylor quit the party last year after the government said the roles of PCCs would be scrapped to save money.

It is unclear if a by-election will be held to replace her, but the office of the PCC in Norfolk said it would provide more detail "once the next steps have been confirmed."

First established in 2012, PCCs are elected officials who set the priorities of a police force, appoint a chief constable and hold them to account.

Taylor's victory for Labour in Norfolk two years ago was a surprise result in a traditionally Conservative-dominated county.

"People want change," said Taylor as she pledged to take the £76,000-a-year role "seriously".

A few months after taking charge, she called for more funding for the police while explaining she believed the PCC "should be a powerful enabler of change".

But a year later she quit Labour after ministers decided to scrap PCCs to cut costs and bureaucracy.

Taylor said she was worried the government was "reducing democracy" and no longer reflecting "Labour values".

Announcing her decision to step down, Taylor said her family had suffered "multiple bereavements" in the last year and now "an immediate family member has been diagnosed with a condition which is known to be profoundly life-changing".

In a statement, she said seeing the work of police had been "a great privilege" and that she was impressed by officers' "professional curiosity and diligence".

Chief Constable Paul Sanford thanked her for "her service and commitment", adding that he wished "her all the very best for the future".

With Taylor's old job due to come to an end in two years' time it is unclear if a by-election will take place, but when the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough PCC quit in 2019, an acting commissioner was put in place.

However, a new election could prove costly as a re-run of the vote for the Wiltshire PCC in 2021 cost around £1m.

Mark Stokes, the chief executive of the Norfolk PCC office, said he was "working with the relevant authorities to ensure all necessary legal and governance processes are followed".

"Further information will be provided once the next steps have been confirmed," he added.

Taylor has also stepped down as a Breckland councillor and a by-election for her Dereham Toftwood seat is expected to take place in the next few weeks.

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