Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the annual cost to the public purse is of the office of the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

The Government does not centrally collate information in respect of the cost of the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Wiltshire.

Under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, it is the responsibility of PCCs to determine how each police area’s funding settlement is allocated, including setting the police force budget and the running of the PCC’s office.

The 2011 Act specifies that PCCs must publish key information as prescribed by the Secretary of State. The Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011 sets out what information must be published: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/3050/contents/made

The publication of this information enables the local electorate to determine whether the PCC is making the best use of public funds so that they can hold commissioners to account for their actions via the ballot box.