This blog is mainly about the governance and future of policing and crime services. (Police & Crime Commissioners feature quite a lot.) But there are also posts about the wider justice system. And because I am town councillor and political activist, local & national issues are covered a little, as well.

Monday, May 13, 2013

If I could hire myself I would charge a lot more

The title is a memorable quote from The Oxford Mail's interview with Anthony Stansfeld, published today entitled:

I'm not fiddling expenses says police and crime commissioner


The full quote is:
“I am extremely good value for money. If I could hire myself I would charge a lot more.”
You must read the whole article. Well done to Tom Jennings for scooping this interview after yesterday's Mail on Sunday article. You, dear reader. will judge whether PCC Stansfeld's response is one that convinces you of his unimpeachable intentions. The commentators at the bottom of the page of Oxford Mail's article seem less than persuaded it seems. But perhaps you will be.

However, before you make up your mind, please ask yourself these questions:
  1. If PCC Stansfeld wants to up his productivity, has he considered relinquishing his role as a local councillor for West Berkshire?
  2. How expensive do you think it now is to encrypt a laptop and so give him access to TVP files at home?
  3. Could he use public transport more instead of hiring an expensive support / driver / chauffeur / bag carrier / batman?
  4. Did he know the impact on his own purse when he decided to create a second office?
  5. Is there a business case document which sets out the costed options between a) a second office b) hiring a driver c) working from home? If not, why not? 
  6. What fee would you pay for a day of PCC Stansfeld's extensive experience (honed, in part, in the jungles of Borneo in late sixties)?
  7. Has PCC Stansfeld ever watched the Monty Python sketch "is this the right room for an argument?" (this isn't argument, it's just contradiction... no it isn't...)
  8. What has the Deputy PCC done in the last few months for his £35k pa salary such that he has not claimed any expenses? (Or maybe that is another story...)
  9. In his statement issued today (see here for the full text) he states that the support officer is employed for only three days a week. Why does the job description say otherwise? 
  10. If the post is now indeed part time, when was this decision taken and why?
  11. Why is no mention made of remote working from home in his public statement? If this option was rejected, why is that? Really?
  12. No mention is made in the public statement about the change in expenses before and after the office switch. Why not?
I could go on... as indeed I think this story is set to....

PS: forgot to add - I spotted this on the Oxford Mail website earlier ...did they choose the advert...?!


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