Tributes have been paid to Staffordshire's outgoing Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner a month before he is due to stand down from the role.

Matthew Ellis, who was voted in as the area's first Police and Crime Commissioner in 2012, announced he would not be standing for election again before polls were due to take place in 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic led to the postponement of the 2020 elections, meaning Mr Ellis remained in post for an extra year.

Now he is set to stand down in May when residents go to the polls to elect the next commissioner, who will also oversee the work of Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service after that responsibility was added to the role in 2018.

At this month's Stafford Borough Council cabinet meeting Councillor Jeremy Pert thanked Mr Ellis for his service to the area.

He said: "No matter what people might think of the role of the Police and Crime Commissioners across the country I would like to pay tribute to Staffordshire's first Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis, who has held that post since November 2012.

"I think he's been a good partner to the borough council, not only in community safety but also in work in other areas such as homelessness."

Council leader Patrick Farrington said: "I'm sure we would all like to thank Matthew Ellis for his work throughout the borough during the eight years he has been the Police and Crime Commissioner."

Five people are battling to become Staffordshire's next Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in May and succeed Mr Ellis, who ran as a Conservative candidate.

The candidates are Ben Adams (Conservative), Deneice Florence-Jukes (Independent), Tony Kearon (Labour and Co-operative Party), Michael Riley (Reform UK) and Richard Whelan (Liberal Democrats).

Stafford Borough Council cabinet members met virtually this month (April 8) to approve a refresh of the area's Community Safety and Wellbeing Strategy 2020- 2024. The document has been produced by the Community Wellbeing Partnership, which includes organisations such as police, the fire service and Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), and sets out how the partnership aims to tackle crimes and issues such as domestic abuse, antisocial behaviour, fraud and safeguarding vulnerable people.

Councillor Pert, cabinet member for community and health, said: "It's an annual refresh we do to check and make sure that the community safety strategy that was adopted for the period 2020 – 2024 is still heading in the right direction, still valid and valuable. It also tries to strengthen the links between the impact of crime and health and wellbeing in our communities.

"The priority areas, as before, focus on antisocial behaviour, community cohesion, domestic abuse, county lines, modern day slavery, fraud and vulnerable persons and safeguarding, which includes alcohol and mental health."

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