PCC threatens legal action over no confidence vote

The Sussex police and crime commissioner (PCC) is threatening legal action after she faced a vote of no confidence over attending a protest against asylum seekers being housed at a military site.

Katy Bourne is demanding that the formal criticism is withdrawn, and a public apology, after she was censured in a non-binding motion for attending a march against housing asylum seekers in Crowborough on 8 November.

The Sussex Police and Crime Panel (SPCP) said it had "lost confidence" in the commissioner and her conduct after she attended the protest.

A SPCP spokesperson added: "We have now received correspondence from the Commissioner's representatives, to which we will be responding fully in due course."

The panel added Bourne's comments on BBC Radio Sussex in December "calling for asylum seekers to be fitted with electronic tags" and other actions on social media had also been taken into account.

"Her lack of impartiality has brought the office of Commissioner and policing into disrepute," the motion read.

"We therefore censure her for her actions."

A spokesperson for the PCC's office said: "I can confirm the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner has taken legal advice and instructed our solicitors to contact the legal advisor to the Sussex Police and Crime Panel.

"This is to issue a notice of proposed judicial review of the decision of the SPCP to censure the PCC at the meeting at County Hall in Lewes on 30 January."

Andrei Czolak, chairperson of the SPCP, said he was aware of the PCC's office statement.

"I personally believe the allegations to be baseless," he added.

"The panel will await the outcome of this notice and will continue to discharge its statutory responsibilities of scrutiny robustly, lawfully and in the public interest."

Minutes of the meeting on 30 January showed Bourne expressed her motivations had purely been to engage with local residents and hear their concerns, adding she "felt harassed for simply doing her job".

The minutes also noted Bourne suggested her interactions with social media had been in a personal capacity and some of her comments had been misrepresented.

The PCC chief executive and monitoring officer Mark Streater asked for it to be put on record he did not recognise the motion as a formal duty of the panel.

The document noted it was within the panel's remit to vote on any motions which had been proposed and seconded.

It added, however, it would not be binding and the PCC would have a right to respond.

Additional reporting by PA.

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