Police panel says it has 'lost confidence' in PCC

A crime panel has said it has "lost confidence" in Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne over her attendance at a protest march over an asylum seeker camp in Crowborough.

Members of the Sussex Police and Crime Panel voted in favour of censuring Bourne after she attended a march against housing asylum seekers at an army base in Crowborough on 8 November, 2025.

A motion, brought by the panel, also claimed Bourne, who is running to become the first Sussex mayor, had "brought the office into disrepute" due to a lack of impartiality.

Bourne, who told the panel she felt "on trial for doing my job", later said the motion was a "coordinated personal attack on my integrity".

During the meeting, which took place on Friday, 30 January, Bourne also faced questions over her previous comments calling for asylum seekers to be electronically tagged.

The motion, tabled by Lewes Green Party councillor Paul Keene, read: "This panel has lost confidence in the comissioner and in the commissioner's conduct after her actions in attending a protest march on 8 November, 2025 in Crowborough."

Bourne, a Conservative, said she would complain to the monitoring officer for the panel, saying she felt the motion was "harassment".

Prior to the vote, Bourne left the room, telling BBC South East later that she was "so disgusted" at the motion.

A spokesperson for West Sussex County Council, which hosts the panel, said: "If a complaint is received then these will be looked at carefully and responded to appropriately. However, we believe that all processes have been followed correctly."

Mark Streater, monitoring officer for the PCC's office, questioned whether the panel had the power to legally discipline Bourne through the motion, adding: "I do not recognise this as a formal duty or responsibility of the panel."

Speaking to BBC South East following the motion, Bourne said: "This came completely out of the blue. They clearly cooked this up beforehand.

"My job is to be the voice of the public on policing. That's exactly what I have been doing in this instance.

"I'm not going to be cancelled just because I am saying something that is absolutely my job to do."

Plans were announced in October to accommodate up to 500 male asylum seekers in an army training camp on the outskirts of Crowborough, the first of whom arrived at the site in the early hours of 22 January.

A number of protests have been held by groups opposed to the plans since they were announced.

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