A Dudley Councillor has been picked by the Conservative Party as their candidate for West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.Party activists in the region gave the nod to Les Jones, 60, following a special meeting at the Knowle Royal Britsh Legion Club in Solihull.
Mr Jones previously stood as the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner Candidate at the 2014 by-election adding an extra 10,000 votes to the party’s tally. The new candidate says he has a “plan” to improve policing in the West Midlands and if elected will work closely with the Government to get “the best possible deal.”
Les represents Pedmore and Stourbridge East on Dudley Borough Council and was previously leader of the authority. He is currently a member of both the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership and the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority and was formerly Chairman of Finance at the former West Midlands Police Authority.
Les is also heavily involved in his local community and is a Director and Trustee of Mary Stevens Hospice as well as a School Governor. He is married to Karen and in his spare-time he enjoys cooking and reading.
Les said: “It is an absolute privilege to be picked as the Conservative candidate for this very important job and it will give me the opportunity to build on our improved result in 2014.
“I have a plan to improve policing in the West Midlands which includes cutting red tape and waste to reinvest on the frontline and using new technology and techniques to improve detection.
“The commitment of this Government to making the West Midlands a safer place will help with the Prime Minister protecting the budget of our force whilst investing money to tackle new challenges like cyber-crime and extremism.
“It is vital the West Midlands elects a Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner to bring a fresh new local approach whilst working closely with Government for the best possible deal.”