Northants Tories increase pressure on Stephen Mold

Pressure is growing on a police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) after he used inappropriate language about his county's chief fire officer.

Northamptonshire's Stephen Mold has apologised for his comments about Nikki Watson but fellow Conservatives say that is not enough.

Some councillors said his position was untenable and a senior local politician has urged him not to stand in May's election.

Mr Mold has been invited to respond.

Mr Mold has previously attracted controversy over his appointment of Ms Watson's predecessor, Nicci Marzec, amid speculation over her friendship with him.

He was then asked to explain how Ms Marzec obtained a job at a publicly funded company he chairs.

The latest crisis for the beleaguered PFCC centres on comments he made in a meeting with firefighters about Ms Watson.

Mr Mold is said to have used a derogatory term while explaining that Ms Watson would be removed from her new post if the police watchdog, which is investigating a complaint relating to her time as a police officer, found against her.

A statement issued on his behalf said he regretted his language immediately and apologised to those present.

However, Adam Brown, deputy leader of Conservative-controlled West Northamptonshire Council, believes Mr Mold should not take part in PFCC elections in May.

"The best thing he could do for the party and the police and fire service is to not stand in the election," he said.

He added that Mr Mold's "misogynistic language" at the meeting "creates a hostile environment for female employees of the fire service and the police".

Conservative councillor James Hill, who has lodged an official complaint with the party, said: "There comes a point where enough's enough, and that's where I'm at now and I feel that, as a party, we can do better and we can have someone who can represent us in the way we should be represented."

André González De Savage, a Conservative councillor on the Police, Fire and Crime Panel, set up to scrutinise the commissioner's office, said: "An individual who models that behaviour really isn't best placed to run the county's structures of police and fire."

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