Andrew Snowden has been elected as Lancashire’s first Conservative police and crime commissioner – and now will in line to pick up the £86,700 per year salary.

He has triumphed over Labour’s Clive Grunshaw, who has held the post since the post was created in 2012.

The close contest went to a second round after none of the candidates secured a majority of votes on first preferences. The other two candidates, Liberal Democrat Neil Darby and the Reform UK Party’s James Barker, were eliminated. After this process, it was declared that Mr Snowden received 181,314 votes (51.3%) overall, compared to Mr Grunshaw’s 172,362, (48.7%). The turn out across Lancashire in the PCC election was 33.7 per cent.

Mr. Snowden said: “I am just overwhelmed to have been supported by 181,000 people across Lancashire. That is the most votes a Police and Crime Commissioner in the county has ever received. I have talked a lot in the campaign about tackling crime, getting tough on criminals and putting more bobbies for Lancashire and that is what I intend to do. It is a huge job of work and I am looking forward to getting on with it. We need a more visible police presence on the street and that does not just mean in our towns and cities but in our rural areas to tackle ballooning crime and anti-social behaviours in those rural and remote communities. People have also said the commissioner has been invisible but I intend to be out about in our communities to ensure that I know the problems and can make them safer.’