Warwickshire PCC denies accepting hunting lobby money

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe said he was “very concerned” about MP Matt Western’s comments in Parliament

BBC A man wearing glasses and a gray suit with a blue and white criss-cross shirt and a red, navy and white striped tie. He is standing outdoors with an area of grass and trees in the background. — Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe said he was “very concerned” about MP Matt Western’s comments in Parliament

Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has denied accepting money from a trail hunting lobby.

Conservative PCC Philip Seccombe spoke to BBC Midlands Today after the claim was made in the House of Commons earlier this week by Labor MP for Warwick and Leamington Matt Western.

The deputy also described a review by the commissioner’s office into how Warwickshire Police manage hunting in Warwickshire as a “fake”.

Mr Seccombe said he was “very concerned” about the MP’s remarks in Parliament.

“Parliamentary privilege is a privilege and I think all Members of Parliament should tell the truth,” Mr Seccombe said.

“There was an allegation he made that we received funding from the Countryside Alliance – which is absolutely not true – and I’m also concerned about his opinion of our independent review going on in hunting in Warwickshire.

The commissioner himself ordered the review, but Mr Western claimed it was not independent and described it as a sham.

Mr Seccombe said: “It’s part of my role to hold Warwickshire Police to account so I’ve appointed an independent reviewer who has experience in police governance to look at this and there are no limits to who they can talk to.”

Rugby’s Cathy Scott said Freedom of Information requests were consistently refused by the PCC and Warwickshire Police.

Cathy Scott, wearing a gray coat and light gray scarf, stands in a field with trees in the background. She has long hair and nose piercings on both nostrils. — Rugby’s Cathy Scott said Freedom of Information requests were consistently refused by the PCC and Warwickshire Police.

But the MP’s intervention was welcomed by anti-hunting campaigners, including Rugby’s Cathy Scott.

She said she wanted the review to be further separated from the commissioner and added that she had spent years trying to get answers from both his office and Warwickshire Police.

“Freedom of information requests have been constantly put into Warwickshire Police and constantly everyone is blocked,” she said.

“We get no response or they use Exemption 32, which means it’s not in the public interest, so they won’t disclose.

“How can the public get to know and trust the police and crime commissioner and the local police force when simple questions are simply not being answered.”

Mr Western refused to back down from his earlier comments.

“I’ll leave it to the public inquiry we’ve called to find out what’s going on,” Mr Western said.

“This is about trust and confidence in Warwickshire Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner.”