RESIDENTS in York have been urged not to waste the chance to vote for who they want to head their police force later this year.

Elections for the new police and crime commissioners will be held across the UK in November, with the chosen candidates setting force budgets and having the power to hire and fire chief constables.

York councillor Ruth Potter is Labour’s selection for the North Yorkshire Police position, with the Conservatives set to choose between two candidates – Leeds marketing agency boss Julia Mulligan and ex-deputy chief constable Peter Walker.

Novelists G P Taylor and Mike Pannett, both former police officers, have also expressed an interest in running as independent candidates.

The elections take place on November 15, with York residents receiving their voter registration forms in the next few months.

City of York Council urged people to have their say amid concerns of apathy about the £70,000-a-year commissioners throughout the country.

Kersten England, the authority’s chief executive and returning officer for York and North Yorkshire, said: “Some residents may not realise they have to register every year. It’s really important that anybody who wants to vote completes and returns the form as soon as possible to ensure they are able to vote in the upcoming election.”

Residents can choose to have their details excluded from the edited register so they cannot be bought by individuals and commercial organisations.

More details are available at york.gov.uk/elections and anybody who does not receive a form can phone the council’s electoral registration office on 01904 551051 or 551007 or email electoral.services@york.gov.uk

Meanwhile, York Central MP Hugh Bayley welcomed Coun Potter’s selection, claiming Conservative and Liberal Democrat candidates would be “cheerleaders for police cuts”.

He said: “You won’t cut crime by cutting the police and you don’t support communities by backing off action to tackle anti-social behaviour.”