Last updated at 20:32, Thursday, 19 July 2012

A forum will be set up in Maryport to make sure the county’s new police commissioner knows what the town needs.

An elected commissioner is set to replace the county’s police authority, the body which oversees the Cumbrian force, later this year.

The post-holder will have powers to hire and fire the county’s chief constable, set police objectives and the force budget.

An election will be held on November 15 and candidates so far include Patrick Leonard, former chief executive of Allerdale council.

Maryport town councillor Carni McCarron-Holmes is behind the plan for the public protection forum, which would also include representatives from traders, schools and other groups.

Coun McCarron-Holmes told Maryport Town Council on Monday that the town was already losing out when it came to the police.

She said: “It is not the fault of the PCSOs we have here, but we do not have a service here at the moment. We need to set out our needs clearly.

“A commissioner will have £32 million to cover the whole of Cumbria and little old Maryport needs to articulate these needs.”

Coun Carol Tindall, seconding the motion, said Maryport had already been told by Chief Constable Stuart Hyde that no decision had been made about a police base when the Eaglesfield Street station closed and he was unable to guarantee that there would be PCSOs in the town.

She said it was essential that the commissioner knew what Maryport needed.

The format of the committee and who will serve on it will be decided at a meeting next month.

First published at 19:20, Thursday, 19 July 2012
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk