The Green Party’s candidate for the Swindon & Wiltshire Police & Crime Commissioner office has promised to do away with the role if elected. 

Brig Oubridge said he will work with his colleagues in parliament to push for a Wiltshire referendum on whether or not to abolish the office of PCC and revert to the previous Police Authority system. 

Mr Oubridge added that if elected he would not take a single penny of the £85,000 salary – with the exception of expenses – and will instead use the cash to fund a diverse panel including representatives from across the political spectrum.

He said: “Overseeing policing is too important to be left in the hands of any one individual.

“It is wrong in principle that any police force should be answerable to just one person, representing only their own personal point of view, or that of a single political party.

“The role was brought in by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2012, and was imposed without consultation and with no electoral mandate. 

“The first elections to the post produced a turnout of less than 10 per cent of the electorate. It replaced the previous system of police authorities, which were composed of a range of local councillors from all parties, together with independent members.”

Other candidates hoping to succeed Angus Macpherson in the May 6 election are Liz Webster for the Liberal Democrats, Conservative Jonathon Seed, Labour's Junab Ali, independent Mike Rees and Reform UK’s Julian Malins.