Uproar as Police and Crime Commissioner collects second salary as councillor
Martin Shipton
More than 15 months after she was elected as Gwent’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Newport’s former Labour council leader Jane Mudd continues to rake in a second salary as a councillor.
In addition to her Commissioner’s salary of £73,302, Ms Mudd is paid £19,771 by Newport City Council as a backbencher representing the Malpas ward, bringing her total remuneration up to £93,073.
Questions are being asked about why Welsh Labour hasn’t insisted that she resigns her role as a backbench councillor.
Astonishment
Cllr Nigel Dix, who leads the Independent group on Caerphilly council, in the Gwent Police area, told Nation.Cymru: “I was chatting to a retired 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.”
By-election
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 councilor.”
A Welsh Labour source said: “I’m really surprised we are allowing people to hold two distinct elected roles. They are not really related and both bring with them significant responsibility.
“There are real grumblings within Newport Labour, made worse by Jane’s refusal to recognise there is an issue.
“Welsh Labour needs to take a stronger line on what it expects of its elected representatives.”
Standing down
In December 2024 Ms Mudd told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that she intended standing down as a councillor – but that she wasn’t yet ready to say when.
She had originally told the council in November 2023, that she intended standing down as its leader if elected to the post, stating it would be “impossible” to do both jobs.
After winning the election Ms Mudd resigned as city council leader and said she didn’t intend serving as a councillor for the full term that runs until 2027. Asked when she would announce a date for when she will step down she replied: “When I’m ready.”
Police and crime commissioners were introduced across Wales and England, outside of London, in 2012 and replaced the former police authorities that were drawn from appointed members and councillors selected by their unitary authorities.
The intention was a directly-elected public official would be better able to engage the public, but turnout at the elections has been low and only 15% of Gwent voters cast a ballot last year,
Since a change in the law, Ms Mudd would not have been able to serve as a Senedd Member and councillor simultaneously. A councillor can stand as a candidate for the Senedd, but if elected, they must resign their council seat. There is a brief period where a councillor elected to the Senedd can remain in their council position, specifically if the next scheduled council election is within 372 days.
We asked Cllr Mudd and Welsh Labour to comment, but neither responded to our messages.
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Labour are definitely losing their way.
Good…..the people of Wales must surely now finally wake up and wipe out labour’s branch office in Wales next year. Its certainly long overdue
Excellent news. Get them gone from Wales permanently.
Oink! Oink!
It’s a consolation prize. They all are, don’t rock the boat, we’ve got plans for the local party, and our preferred candidates are….so don’t interfere with that process and you get the PCC sinecure as a reward. No wonder the barbarians are at the gate.
Her name is Mudd.
Mudd by name, …..
1) Asked when she would announce a date for when she will step down she replied: “When I’m ready”….2) “We asked Cllr Mudd and Welsh Labour to comment, but neither responded to our messages”…..two sentences which perfectly sum up the utter contempt labour in Wales has for the Welsh electorate. Let’s be honest – with a few honourable exceptions – Labour politicians have always regarded getting elected in Wales as a means of getting on the gravy train….nothing more (though most have not been as breathtakingly brazen about it as Mudd has).
Gravy train.
But is she doing both jobs to a satisfactory standard? If so, I have zero problem. The primary duty of a councillor is to attend meetings and represent the view of their constituents. On the face of it, it would look impossible to do both jobs and do them well but when your start digging into the detail it really isn’t, but it does require some careful time management and well modern technology. It wouldn’t have been possible 30 years ago. She has been formally elected to her roles by her constituents and as far as I can tell it… Read more »
The bigger issue is second jobs across the whole political spectrum. Sometimes these jobs are not really nothing but influential lobbying and fronting political propaganda for certain ideologies. Second jobs for political post holders should be outlawed immediately.
100% Their only significant income stream should be from their political job and any volunteering activities should be in the role of their political job and not in a personal capacity.
Since when have local councillors in Wales received a salary? Years ago, when I was involved in local politics in a metropolitan borough in the north of England, only the leader of the council received a salary, because his was in effect a pretty full-time job.
But remuneration for other councillors was limited to paying incidental expenses incurred as a consequence of their office. The rate of remuneration was fairly generous, but even so it wasn’t a salary.
Do councillors actually get paid a full-time salary in Wales even if they don’t serve on committees within the council? If Mudd’s only excuse is that she does want to hand a by-election to the fascists. The real reason that Reform UK has any chance of winning is because Welsh Labour has failed to engage with the people of Wales and their everyday experiences. The people of Wales and all other countries of the world need to engage in economic and political issues because the decisions taken by these politicians and business leaders do affect your everyday lives; The services… Read more »
‘The real reason that Reform UK has any chance of winning is because Welsh Labour has failed to engage with the people of Wales and their everyday experiences.’
I think that applies well beyond Wales alone!
‘If the people look closely at Reform’s far right policies … you will see they are, at best copies of the Conservatives, but with fascist authoritarian tendencies.’
That’s certainly how they look to me as well.
For a while the thing is, is that representatives should come from all walks of life and it’s really hard for say a single parent with kids who works full time to become active in such areas without a suitable income. It’s basically the equivalent of part time salary.
Fair comment.
In my book having two jobs means working approximately 80 hours a week. Does she?
Being a councillor doesn’t pay a full time wage… it pays part time.
Nearly £20,000 or £400 a week is not bad for part-time work eh?
Not only is this clear self-enrichment it also presents a conflict of interest. The PCC can obtain grants from the Home Office to run stuff like probation schemes and community payback jointly with the local authority. Particularly important when courts define conditions and police officers dish out community resolution agreements. Evidently Ms Mudd and the Labour Party is just in it for cash. Does not take either role seriously.
I agree that the she should not have a second job as a Councillor. But,”Afraid that Reform will win a by election”? Doesn’t the leader of Reform rake in millions from multiple second jobs and hardly sets foot in his Clacton constituency.
She was allegedly involved when a former deputy leader who lost his seat then got a job as a council manager which only came to light when a police officer let it slip about his appointment after council refused to confirm his appointment.
I suspect her reward for allowing other favoured Labour politicians a pathway to power.
Pigs with their snouts in the mud
Poor woman has to work two jobs to make ends meet.
Plus expenses from both jobs
Absolutely no doubt that Welsh Labour need to be well and truly dumped in many local authority areas in 2027. And even though I despise Farage and Reform a full audit of these local authorities is needed. In my local area Cardiff, RCT and Caerphilly need completely overhauling the waste especially in middle management is astronomical
As soon as I became PCC I stopped accepting my Councillors Allowance. It just felt the right thing to do and I still feel that way. Taking a PCC salary and a Councillor’s allowance is taking the p**s and the Home Secretary needs to step in to stop it.