Jonathan Ash-Edwards elected as new Police and Crime Commissioner

The newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire has been announced as Jonathan Ash-Edwards.

The results were announced by Police Area Returning Officer, Broxbourne Borough Council's Chief Executive Jeff Stack, at the count at the Laura Trott Leisure Centre, in Broxbourne at 1.30pm on Saturday (May 4).

The four candidates who contested the election were Jonathan Ash-Edwards (The Conservative Party Candidate), Sean Prendergast (the Liberal Democrat Party), Tom Plater (The Labour Party candidate) and Matthew Fisher (The Green Party candidate).

Mr Ash-Edwards revived a total 93,658 votes, followed by Mr Prendergast who received 68,264 votes; Mr Plater who got 66,585 votes and Mr Fisher who polled 26,714 votes.

Mr Ash-Edwards will begin a new four-year term which will start on May 9 2024.

Following the election he said: "I am delighted to have been elected as Hertfordshire’s new Police and Crime Commissioner and would like to thank the 93,658 people who voted for me. It has been a very enjoyable campaign where all the candidates set out their ideas and avoided the party political mudslinging so often seen in politics. The election has been so much the better for that. 

“I pay tribute to David Lloyd, who has served Hertfordshire with distinction for the past 12 years as Police and Crime Commissioner. Under his watch, Hertfordshire now has its largest ever number of police officers and is one of the safest counties. He will be a hard act to follow.

“Public service matters to me and I will work to bring professional, responsible and collaborative leadership to the role. I’ll work tirelessly to keep Hertfordshire safe, ensure the public’s views are heard in local policing and empower the police to tackle crime and protect the public. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Hertfordshire resident Mr Ash-Edwards comes to the role with a background as a local Councillor in Sussex for 16 years, including as a Council Leader, as well as founding an education trust now responsible for the education of over 3,500 young people.

Jonathan chaired a high performing Community Safety Partnership for four years, giving him a significant insight into effective strategies for crime prevention and tackling anti-social behaviour.

Mr Ash-Edwards has also been a serial business builder, he started his first business at the age of 24 and has led a company delivering major projects to clients across a range of sectors.

The turnout across Hertfordshire was 29.3 per cent. This compares with 37.4 per cent at the last election in 2021 and 29 percent in 2016.

The PCC is responsible for the way policing is delivered in the county. They decide how funding related to policing and crime reduction is allocated and set a Police and Crime Plan which sets the strategic direction and objectives of the force. They also bring together community safety and criminal justice partners to ensure local priorities are joined up.