LABOUR'S Jeff Cuthbert has been re-elected for a second term as Gwent’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).

Mr Cuthbert’s win was announced following the count for second preference results, after no candidate had a majority in the first round.

Among first preference votes, Mr Cuthbert received 75,775 – or 41.7 per cent. While it was more than 20,000 ahead of second place Hannah Jarvis of the Conservative Party, it was more than eight per cent shy of the 50 per cent need to win re-election.

After the first round, all but the top two – Mr Cuthbert and Ms Jarvis – were eliminated.

The second preferences of the voters whose first choice was eliminated was then counted.

After the second preference count, Mr Cuthbert was elected with 92,616 votes, while Ms Jarvis had 60,536.

Mr Cuthbert, as Gwent’s PCC, is responsible for holding Gwent Police to account on behalf of the five local authority areas – Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen and Caerphilly.

The role of the PCC is to appoint chief constables – and dismiss if necessary – set police budgets, set the police council tax precept, set out priorities for the local area, oversee how crime is tackled in the area, meet with the public and decide how the budget is being spent.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after his re-election Mr Cuthbert said: “It’s been quite a tough fight but I’m very glad, very proud to be re-elected.”

Mr Cuthbert said the campaign had been “difficult” due to Covid restrictions and it had “very much been an internet campaign”.

He emphasised the importance of the budget and said it was “something we are looking at very seriously indeed.”

He said: “If I don’t make sure that the chief constable has enough money for operational purposes then we’ve got a problem.”

Mr Cuthbert said he was “here to serve all the people in Gwent and that will continue”.

Mr Cuthbert was first elected in 2016 where he got 46.4 per cent of the vote after first preferences, just shy of the 50 per cent he needed to win the election.

All but the top two candidates, which was Mr Cuthbert and the Conservative Party’s Louise Brown were eliminated. After second preference votes were counted, Mr Cuthbert was declared the winner and elected as Gwent’s PCC with 61.6 per cent of the vote.

First round results

  • Jeff Cuthbert (Labour and Co-operative Party) – 75,775
  • Hannah Jarvis (Conservative Party) – 52,313
  • Donna Cushing (Plaid Cymru) – 29,392
  • Paul Harley (Independent) – 13,601
  • John Miller (Liberal Democrats) - 7,640
  • Clayton Jones (Gwlad – The Welsh Independence Party) – 2,615

Second round results

  • Jeff Cuthbert (Labour and Co-operative Party) – 16,841
  • Hannah Jarvis (Welsh Conservative Party) – 8,223