Liberal Democrat County Councillor Malcolm Cowan (Handside and Peartree) is speaking out about the farce where County Councillors are not permitted to ask the Police and Crime Commissioner  about policing and crime issues here in Hertfordshire.

Malcolm said, “When we were forced to have an elected Police and Crime Commissioner, we were told it would make the position ‘publicly accountable’.

“Well, do you know anyone who is allowed to quiz him? David Lloyd was previously chairman of the all-party Police Authority, and thecounty council could question him.

“No-one expected him to carry on as a county councillor, earning another salary on top of his £80,000, but he has.

“But now he won’t answer questions from other county councillors – he just sits there grinning.

“This means that decisions like closing almost all police ‘Public Enquiry Counters’, go unchallenged.”