During a recent session of questions to the Prime Minister, Erewash MP Maggie Throup highlighted a story first published by the Derby Telegraph which uncovered the fact that Labour’s Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire is to spend over £90,000 of taxpayer’s money on recruiting two additional member of staff for his private office.
This takes the number of office staff he employs up to 19, excluding his Deputy, which is more than the total number of Safer Neighbourhood Police Officers for the whole of Erewash.
Speaking on the floor of the House of Commons, Maggie asked:
“Derbyshire’s Labour police and crime commissioner is advertising for two new members of staff at a combined cost of more than £90,000 while also increasing his council tax precept. Given that this will take the commissioner’s office staff numbers up to 19, excluding the commissioner and his deputy—which is actually more than the number of police officers in Erewash—does my right hon. Friend agree that Labour is again prioritising jobs for the boys over brave boots on the ground?”
To which The Prime Minister replied:
“I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. As she will know, we have protected police funding since 2015. For 2018-19, including council tax, there will be an additional £460 million investment available to policing, and we have been able to do that because of the balanced approach that we have taken to our economy. As she points out, however, it is police and crime commissioners who are locally accountable for the decisions that they make, and she is absolutely right to raise this issue and the decisions made by her local police and crime commissioner on behalf of her constituents.”