Julia Mulligan elected as York and North Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner

9:40am Saturday 17th November 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Jennifer Bell, jennifer.bell@thepress.co.uk

North Yorkshire's newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan. North Yorkshire's newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan.

YORK and North Yorkshire’s first elected police boss admits she must work hard to win round the apathetic public who shunned her election in huge numbers.

Conservative Julia Mulligan beat Ruth Potter to become the county’s police and crime commissioner, but turnout was only 14.32 per cent and Mrs Mulligan won the support of only one in 13 eligible voters.

Similar turnouts nationwide meant the polls were the worst-attended in British history and Mrs Mulligan acknowledged there was “lot to be done” to win the public’s confidence.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper claimed voters were not given enough information and called the elections “a complete shambles”, while The Electoral Reform Society branded the Government’s handling of the elections a “comedy of errors” and confirmed it would run an inquiry into the low turnout.

The Public and Commercial Services union said the turnouts should sound the “death knell” for Tory-led calls for thresholds in trade union ballots.

Defeated Labour candidate Ruth Potter said the turnout reflected a lack of public enthusiasm for the new roles. She said: “This is obviously a very disappointing turnout to say it’s the flagship policy of the Government.

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“I can understand the frustration of people who are saying the Government didn’t tell them enough about it. I think from the voting it is obvious that people do not want a police and crime commissioner.”

Mrs Mulligan said she was “delighted” that so many people in North Yorkshire voted for her, and said she would make significant changes when she takes up her new post next week.

They will include addressing the uncertainty over the position of the Chief Constable and the future of the force’s Newby Wiske headquarters.

Mrs Mulligan insisted she and other new commissioners would have a mandate because they would “replace the police authorities that weren’t directly elected at all”.

Mrs Mulligan won 54 per cent of the vote in York and North Yorkshire, with 47,885 votes. Coun Potter won 38.74 per cent, with 34,328 votes. There were 6,406 spoiled papers. There were only two candidates.

Of North Yorkshire’s 14.32 per cent turnout, York saw the lowest turnout at 12.8 percent, whilst Ryedale saw the highest at 16.25 per cent. Selby recorded a 14 per cent turnout.

Temporary Chief Constable Tim Madgwick said he looked forward to working with Mrs Mulligan, and confirmed he would be “throwing my hat into the ring” to become the permanent Chief Constable.


How the votes were cast (with percentage turnout)
  Julia Mulligan Ruth Potter
Craven (15.9%) 4,169 2,512
Harrogate (14.91) 10,822 5,711
Hambleton (16.02) 6,962 3,478
Richmondshire (13.91) 3,198 1,442
Ryedale (16.25) 4,291 2,227
Scarbrough (13.26) 6,190 4,580
Selby (14.00) 4,760 4,032
York (12.80) 7,498 10,346
TOTAL 47,885 34,328

Comments(42)

old_geezer says...
9:51am Sat 17 Nov 12

This is a Cameroon gimmick. For the first time in 40 years of voting, I spoilt a paper, by writing "Keep the Police Authorities".

However deficient (and many were), they contained a range of local representatives drawn from elected councils and could have been revitalised. Now we have a single partisan person.

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shelly-york says...
10:07am Sat 17 Nov 12

Getting 1 leaflet posted though the door about 1 candidate the day before voting is not my idea of campaigning!! Also helps when people actually get the voting card sent to them in first place as I received mine but my parents didn't get anything!! Total shame and waste of our time

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Theendoftheworld says...
10:36am Sat 17 Nov 12

Both David Cameron and Mrs Mulligan have stated that a 14% turnout gives the PCCs a mandate.
When unions have voted for industrial action, historically Tory ministers have constantly stated that less than 40% support was not democratic. How can they reconcile these contradictory statements?

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Funnyian says...
10:50am Sat 17 Nov 12

What a complete waste of time and our money, two board housewife’s battling to earn some pocket money to tell our wonderful police force how to do their job’s . What experience has either one with dealing with the front line policing answer NONE why didn’t I vote? No one knows what this job is about no information to let us tax payers know what we are spending our money on.
No forget it let the police run the police, keep politics out of it!!!!

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RingoStarr says...
11:06am Sat 17 Nov 12

"Defeated Labour candidate Ruth Potter said the turnout reflected a lack of public enthusiasm for the new roles. She said: “This is obviously a very disappointing turnout to say it’s the flagship policy of the Government"

MEOW!

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WTHAWG says...
11:24am Sat 17 Nov 12

Democracy is not about creating more paid jobs for the minority of the population who are members of political parties. That road leads to the Greek system where there are not enough offices for the political appointees.

Some politicians have claimed that the PCCs will be non-partisan. Ruth Potter's leaflet proved this false. It did not invite me to vote for her. It asked me to "Vote Labour on November 15th".

I did not vote - as a protest. I WOULD vote in a referendum on whether or not I wanted PCCs.

The approach taken by the comedian Beppo Grillo in Sicily offers more hope for democracy than forcing us to vote paid, partisan amateurs into professional organisations.

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rockin33 says...
11:27am Sat 17 Nov 12

We received NO information on either candidate, presumably because we reside in the very perimeter of the Selby district, I looked up the prospective candidates on the internet and was less than impressed at the information as it was hardly enough to make an informed decision.

I therefore determined to either waste my vote or spoil the paper, I did the latter but forgot to post it so it ended as the former.

I Cannot see what is wrong with the old Police Authorities and certainly do not agree with the election being run on "old" party lines this should be a non-political appointment!

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Woody G Mellor says...
11:35am Sat 17 Nov 12

Funnyian wrote:
What a complete waste of time and our money, two board housewife’s battling to earn some pocket money to tell our wonderful police force how to do their job’s . What experience has either one with dealing with the front line policing answer NONE why didn’t I vote? No one knows what this job is about no information to let us tax payers know what we are spending our money on.
No forget it let the police run the police, keep politics out of it!!!!
I wouldn't call £70,000 a year pocket money.

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old_selebian says...
11:55am Sat 17 Nov 12

rockin33 wrote:
We received NO information on either candidate, presumably because we reside in the very perimeter of the Selby district, I looked up the prospective candidates on the internet and was less than impressed at the information as it was hardly enough to make an informed decision.

I therefore determined to either waste my vote or spoil the paper, I did the latter but forgot to post it so it ended as the former.

I Cannot see what is wrong with the old Police Authorities and certainly do not agree with the election being run on "old" party lines this should be a non-political appointment!
Can you name anyone who was on the old Police Authority?

No, thought not..

At least you have a say now in how North Yorkshire is policed

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harrygilmore says...
12:08pm Sat 17 Nov 12

next we'll be electing street cleaners

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bob the builder says...
12:32pm Sat 17 Nov 12

Better than one of Comrade Alexander's Red Army Fiasco getting in! At least Potter won't have a further £70k a year to spend on haircolouring and make up.

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York1900 says...
12:33pm Sat 17 Nov 12

old_selebian wrote:
rockin33 wrote:
We received NO information on either candidate, presumably because we reside in the very perimeter of the Selby district, I looked up the prospective candidates on the internet and was less than impressed at the information as it was hardly enough to make an informed decision.

I therefore determined to either waste my vote or spoil the paper, I did the latter but forgot to post it so it ended as the former.

I Cannot see what is wrong with the old Police Authorities and certainly do not agree with the election being run on "old" party lines this should be a non-political appointment!
Can you name anyone who was on the old Police Authority?

No, thought not..

At least you have a say now in how North Yorkshire is policed
I can

Jane Margaret Kenyon

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York1900 says...
12:43pm Sat 17 Nov 12

TORY PCC TORY POLICE AND CRIME PANEL
THE RESULT IS THAT No 10 WILL MAKE NORTH YORKSHIRE POLICE DANCE TO WHAT EVER No 10 WANTS
and any thing the people of North Yorkshire want the PCC to do will need to come from Tory suporters and councils
So we do not have a say as the Tories have tide us up in a system were there is no say because the PCC or the PCP will not go against the Tory government


.

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gjh says...
12:47pm Sat 17 Nov 12

"Mrs Mulligan won 54 per cent of the vote in York and North Yorkshire, with 47,885 votes. Coun Potter won 38.74 per cent, with 34,328 votes. There were 6,406 spoiled papers. There were only two candidates."

How can this be? This does not add to 100%. By my calculation Mrs Mulligan won 58.25 per cent of the vote and Coun Potter won 41.75. Spoilt papers do not count.

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old_geezer says...
1:36pm Sat 17 Nov 12

Over 6 thousand spoiled papers? I'd say that's a pretty significant indicator that the public weren't keen on the idea, given that at general elections with more overall votes there are usually fewer than 100 spoiled.

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York1900 says...
3:11pm Sat 17 Nov 12

gjh wrote:
"Mrs Mulligan won 54 per cent of the vote in York and North Yorkshire, with 47,885 votes. Coun Potter won 38.74 per cent, with 34,328 votes. There were 6,406 spoiled papers. There were only two candidates."

How can this be? This does not add to 100%. By my calculation Mrs Mulligan won 58.25 per cent of the vote and Coun Potter won 41.75. Spoilt papers do not count.
Spoilt papers do count in the total of people who turned up to vote this is why the declared % share is lower for each candidate

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roskoboskovic says...
3:20pm Sat 17 Nov 12

so now this woman controls police finances and can authorise firing up to chief constable level.a very very sick joke surely.

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Gyspsy Power says...
3:24pm Sat 17 Nov 12

Defeated Labour candidate Ruth Potter said the turnout reflected a lack of public enthusiasm for the new roles. She said: “This is obviously a very disappointing turnout to say it’s the flagship policy of the Government.
“I can understand the frustration of people who are saying the Government didn’t tell them enough about it. I think from the voting it is obvious that people do not want a police and crime commissioner.”

Well Ruth, the fact is that the turnout was so low because people dont trusl Labour or Tory. Choosing one of the numpties from these two parties to run our police is like asking who out of Jimmy Saville or Gary Glitter you want to look after your kids. Ruth said its obvious people dont want a police and crime commissioner, yet drained public resources running for the position. Idiotic woman.

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R'Marcus says...
3:32pm Sat 17 Nov 12

Neither Mrs. Mulligan or Mrs. Potter bothered to canvess the villages around York.
Mrs. Mulligan was more interested about rural crime. Here it is. Stop farmers from giving red diesel to friends and relatives at a very knock-time price. Stop farmers from blocking our main roads by their vehicles which do have excise discs.

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R'Marcus says...
3:32pm Sat 17 Nov 12

Neither Mrs. Mulligan or Mrs. Potter bothered to canvess the villages around York.
Mrs. Mulligan was more interested about rural crime. Here it is. Stop farmers from giving red diesel to friends and relatives at a very knock-time price. Stop farmers from blocking our main roads by their vehicles which do have excise discs.

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York1900 says...
3:40pm Sat 17 Nov 12

Look and read the links below and see how the system is set against York

http://nypartnership
s.org.uk/CHttpHandle
r.ashx?id=18842&p=0

http://nypartnership
s.org.uk/CHttpHandle
r.ashx?id=18843&p=0

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Imposter says...
3:49pm Sat 17 Nov 12

£70,000 a year ? Oink Oink !!

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spottycow says...
4:53pm Sat 17 Nov 12

HOW come i took the time to listen and found out about both parties for police commissioner in north yorks . LISTEN to radio YORK and read newspapers to find the facts and then vote or not vote .Folk just like a moan this is typical of lazy people and yes i work 40 to 50 hours but i still find time for events that concern me and my family its called public duty .so get a life .

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Maltonian says...
5:13pm Sat 17 Nov 12

I can't believe that over 80,000 people actually turned out to vote for this costly layer of bureaucracy. It may be a very small % of the total electorate but it's still a heck of a lot of people.

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RooBeck says...
6:20pm Sat 17 Nov 12

This election was an utter and complete waste of time and public monies(£100million cost) and because of the record-breaking low turn-outs, is derided by the Election Commission as challenging the basic tenets of democracy and most certainly, was not wanted by the public at large. It has been a typical, gimmicky, political party policy think tank idea, that was pushed into the Tory 2010 General Election manifesto(that they were of course, unable to win outright with!!!) under David Cameron's drive towards localism and the promise(which was never wished for by the public and had absolutely no appetite for), of more accountability in the police service. Well, the public have voted on both these principles and they do not wish them! There is little doubt that there has been a desire by certain politicians to gain full political control of the police and so now, under this smokescreen, we shall have, in the main, amateur, party political hacks, pushing their weight about in the running of organisations like the police. Mrs. Mulligan, with no knowledge whatsoever on the variances and complexities of policing and with a background in commercial marketing and a local Tory Party activist (she stood for parliament as the Tory candidate for Leeds NW in 2005 but lost to the Lib-Dem candidate), gains around 7% of the available electoral votes and now finds herself as the 'de facto' police chief for North Yorkshire!! It is a hackneyed phrase BUT, the world has truly gone mad!!

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N.F.S. says...
6:24pm Sat 17 Nov 12

Bringing in Parish Constables. These would be Special Constables who can issue tickets. Always like to see someone with their finger on the pulse. They can do that already! At least one of the proposals is sorted!

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gmc_1963 says...
6:40pm Sat 17 Nov 12

What percentage of the electorate wanted this woman in this job ?

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Jazzper says...
6:56pm Sat 17 Nov 12

gmc_1963 wrote:
What percentage of the electorate wanted this woman in this job ?
How do you get rid of her?

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yorkshirelad says...
8:45pm Sat 17 Nov 12

Must work hard to win us around? Alternatively she could accede to the will of the people and resign.

Leave policing to police officers with democratic accountability via properly elected local councils.

I wonder what the age profile of the people who voted was. This is not democracy.

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piaggio1 says...
10:53pm Sat 17 Nov 12

but she is gonna get £70.000 + and a bloody pension ,paid no doubt by US, ie the taxpayer

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Caecilius says...
9:16am Sun 18 Nov 12

The public was NOT apathetic. It sent a clear message that it does not want political commissars like Mrs Mulligan put in to exercise control over policing. If you want proof of that (and I appreciate that Mrs Mulligan and her political masters don't), consider that, nationally, no fewer than ten times the normal proportion of ballot papers were deliberately spoiled by people who took the trouble to go to the polls and register their opposition to this scheme that Cameron is imposing on us. It's a perfect example of British sham democracy in action: the public is presented with no meaningful choice and allowed no real opportunity to influence what happens, and then, when we decline to play ball, our self-serving political clique patronisingly tell us it's because we're "apathetic" or, poor, silly little ordinary people that we are, we just haven't managed to get our simple little heads around the issues.

We understand very well. Mrs Mulligan can say what she likes: she has no mandate whatsoever. Nobody in North Yorkshire was ever polled to see whether or not they were content to retain the existing Police Authorities. Everybody in North Yorkshire was polled to establish whether they wanted a Tory or a Labour Police & Crime Commissioner, and 85% of them have sent the message that they don't want a P&CC at all.

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PKH says...
12:18pm Sun 18 Nov 12

R'Marcus wrote:
Neither Mrs. Mulligan or Mrs. Potter bothered to canvess the villages around York.
Mrs. Mulligan was more interested about rural crime. Here it is. Stop farmers from giving red diesel to friends and relatives at a very knock-time price. Stop farmers from blocking our main roads by their vehicles which do have excise discs.
How can anyone canvas the WHOLE of North Yorkshire it was a physical impossibility, which is why the whole election was a Tory farce. David Cameron wanted them as he knew all Police force with large rural areas would most likely return a Tory PCC and therefore his party would be in 'control' of the majority of forces, which is what has happened.

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ReginaldBiscuit says...
12:19pm Sun 18 Nov 12

Caecilius wrote:
The public was NOT apathetic. It sent a clear message that it does not want political commissars like Mrs Mulligan put in to exercise control over policing. If you want proof of that (and I appreciate that Mrs Mulligan and her political masters don't), consider that, nationally, no fewer than ten times the normal proportion of ballot papers were deliberately spoiled by people who took the trouble to go to the polls and register their opposition to this scheme that Cameron is imposing on us. It's a perfect example of British sham democracy in action: the public is presented with no meaningful choice and allowed no real opportunity to influence what happens, and then, when we decline to play ball, our self-serving political clique patronisingly tell us it's because we're "apathetic" or, poor, silly little ordinary people that we are, we just haven't managed to get our simple little heads around the issues.

We understand very well. Mrs Mulligan can say what she likes: she has no mandate whatsoever. Nobody in North Yorkshire was ever polled to see whether or not they were content to retain the existing Police Authorities. Everybody in North Yorkshire was polled to establish whether they wanted a Tory or a Labour Police & Crime Commissioner, and 85% of them have sent the message that they don't want a P&CC at all.
Interesting but true. Sham democracy in so many ways.

The salaried P&CC role isn't needed and is a waste of taxpayers money. Politicians are completely out of touch with the public although most of them fail to acknowledge this as one of the reasons why voter turnout is low. They like to blame other factors while many see politicians as contemptible as their friends the bankers.

Our mortgage-flipping expense-falsifying friends from Westminster of whatever party can't run a country let alone regulate themselves. Political interference has made a mess of education, transport, defence, energy in fact, I am struggling to think of any sector which hasn't been damaged by their meddling.

I just wish there was a box 'none of the above' on all election slips. They'd do very well.

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bolero says...
1:29pm Sun 18 Nov 12

Sorry Mrs Mulligan but you do not have a mandate to do anything but to accept that the whole business is a sham and to decline the appointment. Surely you've got the message. We do not want a PCC and particularly we do not want a politician in such a post. So why not do the honorable thing and accept what was really a defeat and refuse acceptance.

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telithowitis says...
3:42pm Sun 18 Nov 12

Funnyian wrote:
What a complete waste of time and our money, two board housewife’s battling to earn some pocket money to tell our wonderful police force how to do their job’s . What experience has either one with dealing with the front line policing answer NONE why didn’t I vote? No one knows what this job is about no information to let us tax payers know what we are spending our money on.
No forget it let the police run the police, keep politics out of it!!!!
I wonder if Funnyian also thinks the men who stood for these posts were bored house husbands looking for a bit of pin money? Disagreeing with these elections is fine. Feeling that specific candidates don't have good qualifications for a job is fine too. Sexism isn't fine, no more than racism or any other devaluing, stereotyping nonsense.

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piaggio1 says...
9:46pm Sun 18 Nov 12

Sexism isn't fine, no more than racism ??

oh god ! get a life pal .it wer a joke,

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dweezil says...
1:34am Mon 19 Nov 12

The Policing of our land should not by be political. I SPOILT my vote. Creating another level of highly paid paper work, at the expense of lower paid workers,is a trend we need to stop.

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dweezil says...
1:35am Mon 19 Nov 12

The Policing of our land should not by be political. I SPOILT my vote. Creating another level of highly paid paper work, at the expense of lower paid workers,is a trend we need to stop.

Report this post »

perplexed says...
8:10am Mon 19 Nov 12

bob the builder wrote:
Better than one of Comrade Alexander's Red Army Fiasco getting in! At least Potter won't have a further £70k a year to spend on haircolouring and make up.
This sort of partisan drivel is exactly why politics should be kept out of policing ! It only goes to prove my point.

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Sillybillies says...
2:02pm Mon 19 Nov 12

All the loony left wingers who thought they were being clever by not voting or spoiling their ballot papers have let in a Tory.

How predictable and what a laugh.

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bolero says...
3:46pm Mon 19 Nov 12

Sillybillies wrote:
All the loony left wingers who thought they were being clever by not voting or spoiling their ballot papers have let in a Tory. How predictable and what a laugh.
The first comment he's had on this posting; which makes for a delightful change; and he comes out with this senseless drivel.

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Sillybillies says...
3:41pm Wed 21 Nov 12

You've still lost!!

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