A COUNCILLOR dressed as a chauffeur to criticise the use of a support officer as a driver by Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Anthony Stansfeld.

Buckingham town councillor Jon Harvey said he went to the meeting of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel dressed as a chauffeur to draw attention to the amount of money being spent by the PCC.

The panel, which met at West Oxfordshire District Council’s Witney offices, decided there would be an independent audit of the PCC’s expenses. Mr Harvey said: “I think it raises some big questions about the use of public money.”

But Mr Stansfeld, 68, said: “Driving 500 miles in three days and during each of these days attending numerous meetings, which I have to chair, make speeches and presentations at, is hard work.

“If I was 30 years younger I might find it easier, but it is a terrible waste of time.

“I should be reading, making notes, and be on the phone.

“There are many police commissioners who are much older than I am, but probably cover much smaller areas.”

On Monday, the Oxford Mail reported that Mr Stansfeld had designated Hungerford Police Station, which is four miles from his home in Kintbury, West Berkshire, as his main office. This meant he could claim more than £1,000 for journeys to Kidlington in the two months from February.

Mr Stansfeld now has Kidlington as his main office.

Of the independent audit, Mr Stansfeld said: “I don’t do my own expenses. I am probably owed money at the moment.”

He admitted that he signs off his expenses, but said these were checked by a monitoring officer.