News / police and crime commissioner
Rees’ former chief of staff to become deputy police & crime commissioner
The battle-hardened political fixer who was a constant presence at Marvin Rees’ side during his time as mayor of Bristol looks almost certain to become the Avon & Somerset deputy police & crime commissioner.
Kevin Slocombe was head of the mayor’s office at Bristol City Council from 2016 to 2024 and was Rees’ one political appointment as mayor, having returned to his home city after working for former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as head of media relations.
After leaving City Hall, the passionate Bristol Rovers fan, who also spent a decade working for the Communication Workers’ Union, was employed as a consultant by the West of England Combined Authority on a controversial £150,000 contract.
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When it was most recently announced, the pro rata salary per year for the deputy PCC role was £39,015.00 for part-time working, three days per week.
Former deputy PCC John Smith described the job as “work(ing) closely with the PCC and her team, the Chief Constable and his team and other key partners to make sure that local residents get the best possible police and crime services at this unprecedented time”.
Kevin Slocombe was Marvin Rees’ righthand man at City Hall – photo: Uplands TV / Sam Gibson
PCC Clare Moody formally notified the police & crime panel on July 4 that “she wishes to appoint Kevin Slocombe to the position”.
This means that Slocombe’s new job will almost certainly be confirmed at the next meeting of the panel on July 22.
Similar to the job of head of the mayor’s office, “it is the only post in the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) that is not politically restricted”.
The police and crime panel meeting agenda says: “It is a discretionary appointment, and the Commissioner is not required to appoint on merit. The appointment is arguably less able to be tested in terms of professional judgement and expertise.
“The Panel may recommend to the Commissioner that the appointment be made, or that it not be made.
“A recommendation that an appointment is not made is not the same as a veto. There is no power of veto in this case. The Commissioner can choose to disregard a recommendation not to appoint.”
Labour’s Clare Moody was elected as Avon & Somerset’s police and crime commissioner in 2024 – photo: Clare Moody
Slocombe will attend the hearing on July 22, where Moody, who was elected PCC as the Labour Party candidate in 2024, “will be given the opportunity to summarise the rationale/business case for appointing a DPCC and to make any further comments in relation to the proposed appointment”.
Slocombe, who has previously written about Bristol Rovers for Bristol24/7, will then “be given an opportunity to present to the Panel his understanding of the role”.
He will also be questioned by the panel “in order to establish that he has the necessary professional competence and personal independence to carry out the role of DPCC”.
Main photo: Uplands TV / Sam Gibson
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