Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, took part in a lively debate with Tamworth people on Monday night.
Mr Ellis was on the Question Time panel at the Tamworth Listens event in the town’s Assembly Rooms which was attended by around 100 local residents.
He was part of a panel that responded to various questions about themes including community safety, planning and health at the debate organised by Tamworth Borough Council.
The Commissioner spoke about the need to spend money better by seeing public services work in a more joined-up way along with plans for new local Safer Neighbourhood Panels where people will be able to hold policing commanders to account.
He said: “It was fantastic to be asked to take part in some lively debate with so many people in Tamworth on Monday night. I was heartened by the many kind words from people who came up to speak to me at the end of the night about the work we are doing to spend public money better in Tamworth and the rest of Staffordshire.
“We’ll soon be establishing Safer Neighbourhood Panels in Tamworth and other areas so that local people can influence and scrutinise local policing even further.”
Mr Ellis was joined on the panel by Tamworth Borough Council leader Councillor Daniel Cook, borough council Chief Executive Tony Goodwin, Staffordshire County Council Director of Public Health Aliko Ahmed and county council Senior Policy Manager Andrew Donaldson.
Councillor Daniel Cook, Leader of Tamworth Borough Council, said: “The Tamworth Listens event was very informative, very honest and reassuring.
“The topics and questions the public wanted to discuss were public safety, health, town-wide regeneration and housing. Honest and passionate questions were asked by those residents who attended and I hope the answers and information provided by all of us on the panel helped us all to see the bigger challenges facing our historic borough.
“I look forward to taking part in more events, surgeries and conversations during the next 12 months to keep the dialogue with residents and their public service providers open.”
The Commissioner will be back in Tamworth on Wednesday 4 November when he holds ‘Let’s Talk’ supermarket surgeries at Asda in Ventura Road, B78 3HB, from 12 noon until 12.45pm and Sainsbury’s in Bitterscote Drive, B78 3HD, from 1pm to 1.45pm.
The ‘Let’s Talk’ events are the latest opportunity for people to tell Mr Ellis first-hand about crime and local policing and their experience of the criminal justice system. People are invited to come along to discuss any concerns they have about crime, policing and community safety – no appointment is needed. For more details visit
