By . Martin Beckford . Embarrassment: David Cameron campaigning with Anthony Stansfeld in Witney . David Cameron's local crime tsar has been accused of setting up a sham office in a ‘cynical scam’ that increased his travel expenses by 6,000 per cent, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Anthony Stansfeld, the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, could not claim for the cost of the 45-minute drive from his home to the force’s headquarters every morning. He changed his main office to a single room in a police station just four miles from his house. It meant Mr Stansfeld could then receive expenses for every journey he made to the police HQ, after briefly checking in at the smaller office. In the first few weeks after the move he clocked up over 1,000 miles and was paid more than £450 of public money – a 6,181 per cent rise on the £7 he received the previous month. And in a further twist, Mr Stansfeld has now become the first PCC to appoint a chauffeur to ferry him back and forth to work. It means his mileage claims have ceased but it will cost taxpayers at least £20,000 a year for him to be driven around in an Audi. At the same time, Thames Valley Police must make £40 million of cuts over the next four years. Last night there was astonishment at the behaviour of Mr Stansfeld, who is paid £85,000 as PCC and £15,000 in allowances as a Tory councillor. It is yet another embarrassment for Mr Cameron, MP for Witney, West Oxfordshire, and for the Conservatives’ flagship law and order policy of electing 41 Commissioners across England and Wales, to make the police more accountable. Four miles away: Stansfeld drove from his home in Kintbury, Berkshire to his local station . Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Anthony Stansfeld’s pop-up office appears to be part of a cynical scam to milk the system for as much cash as possible.’ Jon Harvey, a Buckingham town councillor, added: ‘I am very curious as to how him having these two offices benefits the Thames Valley public.’ Mr Stansfeld lives in the upmarket village of Kintbury, Berkshire. But his 13 staff are based at the Thames Valley HQ in Kidlington, North Oxford, a 37-mile journey that takes 45 minutes along the busy A34. Because Revenue rules do not allow employees to claim business mileage between home and their main place  of work, Mr Stansfeld initially had  to cover the cost of his commute. Sham office: Stansfeld used to briefly check in at Hungerford Police Station . Records on his website show he was paid just £15.30 in mileage expenses last December, his first month in charge. In January he claimed £7.20 for driving 16 miles, at 45p a mile. But a footnote says he then opened an office in Hungerford, just down the road from his home. It explains: ‘Therefore his main place of work is now Hungerford with a home-to-work mileage of nine.’ Under the new arrangement, Mr Stansfeld claimed back the cost of 13 return journeys to Kidlington in his own car, after first checking in at Hungerford. His mileage claim shot up to 1,005 in February, for which he was paid £452.25, and in March it went up again to 1,334, for which he received £600.30. Real office: Stansfeld then drove to the Thames Valley Police Headquarters in Kidlington, allowing him to claim mileage on the second journey . No need to drive: Standsfeld is now chauffeur-driven in an Audi A6 . It takes six minutes to complete the journey from his house to the small, red-brick station in Hungerford, which is open to the public just four hours a day, three days a week. When The Mail on Sunday visited, the front counter was manned by one civilian worker and there was no sign of Mr Stansfeld. In the reception area next to the front door, an A4 piece of paper bearing his name has been stuck on a door with drawing pins. But in April, he stopped using the Hungerford office after acquiring a chauffeur. He is now taken in one of the force’s own Audi A6 saloons directly from his home to Kidlington. He advertised on the Thames Valley Police website for a ‘support officer’ on at least £19,700 a year whose main roles would be providing ‘driving and practical support’. David Hanson MP, Labour’s Shadow Policing Minister, said: ‘The PCC needs to immediately explain the need for this expenditure, and why he initially opened a temporary office close to his home. ‘This is another example of potentially increased costs which are taking away money from policing the front line at a time when the number of police officers is being cut.’ A spokesman for Mr Stansfeld said: ‘Thames Valley is a large area to cover and the Hungerford office was made available to the Police and Crime Commissioner to increase his productivity. The PCC has recently employed a support officer whose role includes administrative support for the PCC. The decision was also taken to make driving duties one of the responsibilities of this post. 'The PCC has had the use of a surplus force fleet car since April and therefore has not submitted any mileage claims since then.’ Since publication of this article we have been asked to make clear that Mr Stansfeld had intended to use the Hungerford office as his permanent place of work. The audit report did not conclude it was a “sham” office.  In addition, we confirm that the support officer/ driver, was part-time with a salary of £11,980. Mr Stansfeld has also clarified that he stood down as Executive Member of West Berkshire Council prior to becoming Police and Crime Commissioner, and now receives the basic allowance of £6,149 rather than £15,000 as reported.
Anthony Stansfeld accused of  a ‘cynical scam’ to milk travel expenses .
Stansfeld has now become the first PCC to appoint a chauffeur .
It will cost taxpayers at least £20,000 a year for his Audi A6 .
By . Martin Beckford . Embarrassment: David Cameron campaigning with Anthony Stansfeld in Witney . David Cameron's local crime tsar has been accused of setting up a sham office in a ‘cynical scam’ that increased his travel expenses by 6,000 per cent, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Anthony Stansfeld, the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, could not claim for the cost of the 45-minute drive from his home to the force’s headquarters every morning. He changed his main office to a single room in a police station just four miles from his house. It meant Mr Stansfeld could then receive expenses for every journey he made to the police HQ, after briefly checking in at the smaller office. In the first few weeks after the move he clocked up over 1,000 miles and was paid more than £450 of public money – a 6,181 per cent rise on the £7 he received the previous month. And in a further twist, Mr Stansfeld has now become the first PCC to appoint a chauffeur to ferry him back and forth to work. It means his mileage claims have ceased but it will cost taxpayers at least £20,000 a year for him to be driven around in an Audi. At the same time, Thames Valley Police must make £40 million of cuts over the next four years. Last night there was astonishment at the behaviour of Mr Stansfeld, who is paid £85,000 as PCC and £15,000 in allowances as a Tory councillor. It is yet another embarrassment for Mr Cameron, MP for Witney, West Oxfordshire, and for the Conservatives’ flagship law and order policy of electing 41 Commissioners across England and Wales, to make the police more accountable. Four miles away: Stansfeld drove from his home in Kintbury, Berkshire to his local station . Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Anthony Stansfeld’s pop-up office appears to be part of a cynical scam to milk the system for as much cash as possible.’ Jon Harvey, a Buckingham town councillor, added: ‘I am very curious as to how him having these two offices benefits the Thames Valley public.’ Mr Stansfeld lives in the upmarket village of Kintbury, Berkshire. But his 13 staff are based at the Thames Valley HQ in Kidlington, North Oxford, a 37-mile journey that takes 45 minutes along the busy A34. Because Revenue rules do not allow employees to claim business mileage between home and their main place  of work, Mr Stansfeld initially had  to cover the cost of his commute. Sham office: Stansfeld used to briefly check in at Hungerford Police Station . Records on his website show he was paid just £15.30 in mileage expenses last December, his first month in charge. In January he claimed £7.20 for driving 16 miles, at 45p a mile. But a footnote says he then opened an office in Hungerford, just down the road from his home. It explains: ‘Therefore his main place of work is now Hungerford with a home-to-work mileage of nine.’ Under the new arrangement, Mr Stansfeld claimed back the cost of 13 return journeys to Kidlington in his own car, after first checking in at Hungerford. His mileage claim shot up to 1,005 in February, for which he was paid £452.25, and in March it went up again to 1,334, for which he received £600.30. Real office: Stansfeld then drove to the Thames Valley Police Headquarters in Kidlington, allowing him to claim mileage on the second journey . No need to drive: Standsfeld is now chauffeur-driven in an Audi A6 . It takes six minutes to complete the journey from his house to the small, red-brick station in Hungerford, which is open to the public just four hours a day, three days a week. When The Mail on Sunday visited, the front counter was manned by one civilian worker and there was no sign of Mr Stansfeld. In the reception area next to the front door, an A4 piece of paper bearing his name has been stuck on a door with drawing pins. But in April, he stopped using the Hungerford office after acquiring a chauffeur. He is now taken in one of the force’s own Audi A6 saloons directly from his home to Kidlington. He advertised on the Thames Valley Police website for a ‘support officer’ on at least £19,700 a year whose main roles would be providing ‘driving and practical support’. David Hanson MP, Labour’s Shadow Policing Minister, said: ‘The PCC needs to immediately explain the need for this expenditure, and why he initially opened a temporary office close to his home. ‘This is another example of potentially increased costs which are taking away money from policing the front line at a time when the number of police officers is being cut.’ A spokesman for Mr Stansfeld said: ‘Thames Valley is a large area to cover and the Hungerford office was made available to the Police and Crime Commissioner to increase his productivity. The PCC has recently employed a support officer whose role includes administrative support for the PCC. The decision was also taken to make driving duties one of the responsibilities of this post. 'The PCC has had the use of a surplus force fleet car since April and therefore has not submitted any mileage claims since then.’ Since publication of this article we have been asked to make clear that Mr Stansfeld had intended to use the Hungerford office as his permanent place of work. The audit report did not conclude it was a “sham” office. In addition, we confirm that the support officer/ driver, was part-time with a salary of £11,980. Mr Stansfeld has also clarified that he stood down as Executive Member of West Berkshire Council prior to becoming Police and Crime Commissioner, and now receives the basic allowance of £6,149 rather than £15,000 as reported.
‘cynical scam’ that increased his travel expenses a further twist, Mr Stansfeld has now become the first PCC to appoint a chauffeur to ferry him claims have ceased but it will cost taxpayers at least £20,000 a year for him to be driven around