Lib Dems to fight Leicestershire PCC election

Good news from the Leicester Mercury:

The Liberal Democrats have confirmed they will stand a candidate in next year's Leicestershire police and crime commissioner election despite initial concerns over risking the £5,000 deposit. 

The party has established a co-ordinating committee to choose somebody to fight the campaign in the run-up to May's poll. 

The Lib Dems did not contest the first Leicestershire PCC elections in 2012 because they thought directly-elected commissioners would politicise policing.

The paper quotes a "senior Liberal Democrat source" as saying there were concerns over the £5000 deposit:

"However there is a view that the we are on the road to recovery locally and in any case that we can't afford to sit another election out - particularly one for an influential role such as police and commissioner."

I am not a fan of the police and crime commissioner system, but we cannot pretend it does not exist. I hope that, after our patchy approach last time, the Lib Dems will fight these elections across the country.