By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter
The newly-elected Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner is planning to appoint a city councillor as his deputy next week.
Gary Godden (Lab) was elected as commissioner in May this year, beating his predecessor Caroline Henry (Con) by over 40,000 votes.
Mr Godden has chosen to appoint a deputy to assist with delivering his duties. The role has been unfilled since 2021.
The appointment will be reviewed next week (Tuesday, July 6) by the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Panel.
Mr Godden wishes to appoint Angela Kandola, a Nottingham Labour City Councillor representing the Berridge ward since 2019, to the role.
In the report to be discussed by the panel, Mr Godden has set out his reasonings for his appointment, crediting Cllr Kandola’s 25 plus years of experience covering a range of issues.
She has worked to prevent and tackle Violence against Women and Girls, particularly working with women and young girls with honour-based violence, and worked with communities on offending, mental health and homelessness.
Her experience comes in line with Mr Godden’s primary objective of preventing and tackling Violence Against Women and Girls.
If her appointment is accepted by the panel, Cllr Kandola will be Deputy Commissioner until at least the next election in 2028.
The role of a Deputy is to assist the Commissioner in delivering the Police and Crime Plan, a document that maps out the crime needs, priorities and objectives within the local area.
Cllr Kandola would receive a starting salary of over £62,000 for the role, which Caroline Henry did not appoint for financial reasons.
The decision on the appointment will be finalised in next Tuesday’s panel meeting.
