Government to transfer Police and Crime Commissioner functions to West Midlands and South Yorkshire mayors

The Government has laid legislation in Parliament to transfer the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) functions to the West Midlands and South Yorkshire mayors.

The transfer of PCC functions will mean that the mayors in the West Midlands and South Yorkshire will have oversight over their respective local police forces “to improve collaboration across public services”, the Home Office said.

The PCC role will be assumed by the newly elected mayors across those local areas following the upcoming elections in May 2024.

The decision two six-week public consultations which gave the public the opportunity to share their opinions on the proposals.

The Home Office said: “With additional responsibility for their respective local forces, the newly elected mayors will be well placed to align police and crime priorities with other public services such as transport and regeneration.”

It added that, subject to parliamentary approval, these changes were a continuation of the Government’s plan set out in the Levelling Up white paper to see all combined authority mayors exercise PCC functions, where feasible.

This has already been implemented in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and in London where the mayor has responsibilities equivalent to that of a Police and Crime Commissioner.    

The term of office for the current mayor of South Yorkshire will be brought forward and end in May 2024 rather than 2026, the Home Office added.