Conservative PCC Wants Better Value for Staffordshire Tax-Payers

Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis says getting better value for money is key to maintaining frontline policing in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

Dealing with issues such as the sale of the former police headquarters’ site, which has lain empty since 2010 costing nearly £3 million, are crucial to releasing money into local policing.  The old HQ site was vacated following the decision by the Police Authority to buy new HQ buildings in Weston Road, Stafford.

The Conservative PCC replaced the Police Authority in November 2012 and more than halved the bill of almost £1 million a year for the empty site by levelling it in 2013.

Mr Ellis said, “I inherited an immensely complex situation from the Police Authority which had not been moved forward.  I am frustrated at the amount of money spent on maintaining an empty site, which could have instead gone into frontline policing in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

“My decision to demolish the site has instantly saved almost half a million pounds a year in tax-payers’ money and I’m determined to pay down the overall debt and release more money into local policing.  Although it has taken a few months longer than I’d ideally have liked, I’m now about to appoint agents to help dispose of the site so that in the next few months we should be in the position to further bolster frontline policing resources.”