Police and Crime Commissioner still double-jobbing as councillor

Martin Shipton

A Police and Crime Commissioner has been criticised for “double jobbing” as a councillor nearly two years after being elected to the police role.

Jane Mudd, the former Labour leader of Newport council, became the PCC for Gwent in May 2024, but has failed to resign her seat on the local authority.

In August 2025 Nation.Cymru reported how in addition to her Commissioner’s salary of £73,302, Ms Mudd was paid £19,771 by Newport City Council as a backbencher representing the Malpas ward, bringing her total remuneration up to £93,073.

Questions were being asked about why Welsh Labour hasn’t insisted that she resign her role as a backbench councillor.

Cllr Nigel Dix, who leads the Independent group on Caerphilly council, in the Gwent Police area, told us at the time: “I was chatting to a police officer and they mentioned their astonishment that she was still a councillor. It’s a talking point amongst the police, and I don’t think it will go down well with the public when they find out she’s picking up two salaries.

“I was absolutely gobsmacked when I found out she was still a councillor. allowed her to remain as a councillor. Surely being a Police and Crime Commissioner is a full-time job. And in my view there’s also a conflict of interest. She’s riding two horses.”

We contacted Newport council, where a spokesperson confirmed: “Councillor Mudd remains in receipt of her basic salary of £19.771, which is the same as every councillor without additional responsibilities.”

Cllr Matthew Evans, the council’s Tory opposition leader, said: “We don’t see much of her at the council. She tends to attend meetings remotely.

“I think she should have resigned when she was elected as the Commissioner in May last year. Labour probably doesn’t want to hold a by-election now because they’ll be afraid of losing her seat to Reform,

“The fact that she’s also a councillor has stymied any scrutiny of her by the council. Previously, Police and Crime Commissioners came to our meetings and answered questions, but that’s not happening because she’s also a councillor.”

Now Newport Conservative activist Michael Enea has raised the issue again, writing in a blog post: “When will Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd stand down as a councillor?

“Last year, it was announced Police and Crime Commissioners across the UK are set to be abolished in 2028.

“The Home Secretary then said PCCs were a ‘failed experiment’ – and scrapping them will save £100m over this parliament.

“The UK Government said two in five people still didn’t even know PCCs existed; turnout at the last elections for the posts was below 25%, and mayors were four times better known by the public than local PCCs.

“ … After winning the PCC election Ms Mudd said she didn’t intend to carry on serving as a councillor for the full duration of the council term (until May 2027).

“Asked when she would resign as a councillor, Ms Mudd simply said: ‘When I’m ready’.

“There has previously been speculation that Cllr Mudd could have stepped down as a councillor in the middle of March 2026.

“This would have triggered a council by-election in Malpas on the same day as the Senedd election (which is being held on the 7th May 2026). However, no resignation announcement has been made.”

Pay increase

For the 2026-27 financial year, which begins on April 1, Welsh councillors are set to receive a 6.4% pay increase, raising the basic annual salary to £21,044.

We wrote to Cllr Mudd, asking whether she would be resigning her seat on the council or seeking re-election in 2027, given that the PCC role will be abolished the following year.

She did not respond.