Last updated at 14:25, Thursday, 08 November 2012

Candidates in the first police and crime commissioner elections for Cumbria are taking part in a live webchat.

Conservative Richard Rhodes, Labour’s Dr Patrick Leonard, Liberal Democrat Pru Jupe and independent candidate Mary Robinson will be on hand to take your questions from 5.30pm on Friday.

You can ask them why they are standing, what they hope to achieve in the role, what their stance is on crime and any other questions you would like them to answer in order to allow you to make an informed decision in next Thursday’s election.

The commissioner will replace the county’s Police Authority and will be responsible for setting policing priorities, deciding how the policing budget is spent, holding the chief constable to account and consulting with the public. They will receive a salary of £65,000 a year and will answer to a 12-strong police and crime panel.

The webchat will run for one hour.

First published at 14:20, Thursday, 08 November 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk