There will be no change in the office for the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire after Conservative incumbent Chris Nelson fought off an attempt to pinch the job by the Liberal Democrats – the final count being a close-run thing.

Chris Nelson made no secret to Punchline-Gloucester.com editor Mark Owen that the ballot had seen a tight finish. With a winning margin of just 1,486 votes, the former Cheltenham Borough Councillor took 47,838 voted against Lib Dem Martin Surl's attempt to make a dramatic comeback after the lost the role in 2021. In the end, Mr Surl gathered 46,352 votes.

The final tallies will make interesting analysis for Labour: Ashley Smith, its candidate, trailed significantly behind the two front runners with 35,069 votes. 

However, that proportion of the vote will also be weighed within the broader question of how the public is engaged in the work of police and crime commissioners: with just 146,357 votes in total across the county for this position, turnout stood at an anaemic 29.5%.

Looking to his aims for the next four years, Mr Nelson told Punchline TV he felt the result reflected his efforts to improve the police force's standing – but he didn't mice his words about the campaign.

Mr Nelson said: "I've achieved a lot on [police officer numbers], I have had a lot of stick and been fed up with most of the untruths that have been said. I have delivered on all my six manifesto pledges and there has been some disingenuous comments made about all sorts of things. To be honest, the competition has not been clean, not played with a straight bat."

Looking forward, he said he would be renewing his efforts on strengthening the constabulary, particularly extra detectives.

He added: "Ultimately my vision is to to make the force one of the best in the country. I have got it out of special measures faster than any other country, in 21 months and I am hugely proud of that. The force is full of brilliant officers who work really well, running towards danger every day. They just need the right leadership, supervision, resources and plan to get them to be one of the best forces in the country and it will take me the full four years for me to achieve that."

Also interviewed just after the result, Martin Surl said he was relaxed about the campaign - and being pipped at the post.

Mr Surl said: "I enjoyed the fight and I think I did rather well. To be just over a thousand behind in a county like this, as a Lib Dem, that's fine by me."

He added: "I am not gutted by any means and I move on and best wishes to the police and the chief constable and everyone else."

His next plan, he said, was to take a holiday.