Crime commissioners are packing their office with taxpayer-funded cronies on pay of up to £70,000 String of police commissioners hiring dozens of officials to work with them 14 of the PCCs are costing more than the Police Authorities they replaced Critics have accused PCCs of 'building cosy little empires' Elected police commissioners have sparked a cronyism row by packing their offices with taxpayer-funded political appointees. A string of them have appointed former campaign aides, party colleagues and local councillors to highly-paid deputy posts in their expanding offices, a report revealed. MPs found that the commissioners, who are paid up to £100,000 a year to supervise local police forces, were hiring dozens of officials to work with them, on salaries of up to £70,000. Former MP Tony Lloyd, who heads the Greater Manchester force, has appointed 45 members of staff, including two communications officers and a head of 'scrutiny and engagement' Once the cost of their offices are totalled up, 14 PCCs - or one in three of the total - are already costing more than the Police Authorities they replaced, the Commons home affairs committee said. One Police and Crime Commissioner, former MP Tony Lloyd who heads the Greater Manchester force, has appointed 45 members of staff, including two communications officers and a head of "scrutiny and engagement." Critics said the PCCs were guilty of "building cosy little empires." Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of TaxPayers" Alliance, said: "Police and Crime Commissioners were elected to keep a watchful eye on police spending, not to build their own cosy little empires. Taxpayers elected their PCCs - and not all of their political friends - precisely because they wanted to see someone crack down on wasteful spending and unnecessary bureaucracy in the police. PCCs are barred from appointing party political office holders and "active party members" to their staff, with the exception of the position of deputy PCC. All other roles should be "appointed on merit," the rules say. However, the report notes that "the position of deputy is not a politically restricted post. Some PCCs have consequently recruited political or personal contacts. They include Northamptonshire PCC Adam Simmonds, who appointed three interim assistant commissioners on £65,000, including two from his campaign team. West Midlands PCC Bob Jones hired three Labour councillors as assistant commissioners on £22,500 and a deputy commissioner, Yvonne Mosquito, on £65,000. Kent PCC Ann Barnes hired her Lib Dem former campaign manager Peter Carroll as an adviser on £70,000, while Surrey PCC Kevin Hurley, a former Metropolitan Police officer, hired a former colleague, Jeff Harris, as his deputy on £50,000. A separate BBC survey revealed PCCs had created nearly 450 posts in their offices since the November elections. Behind Manchester, the West Yorkshire PCC has hired 27 staff, Merseyside 26 and West Midlands 23. The committee called for a national register of PCCs" interests and for "stronger scrutiny" of the commissioners to prevent "maverick decision making." They found that only one in four has published their full spending information online - such as expenses and contacts - despite the law requiring them to do so. Kent PCC Ann Barnes hired her Lib Dem former campaign manager Peter Carroll as an adviser on £70,000 A PCC whose staff were arrested after he reported them for allegedly exposing his expenses claim for a chauffeur-driven Mercedes has been criticised by MPs. Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Richard Rhodes reported the whistleblowers for telling a local newspaper that he had charged the taxpayer £700 for two chauffeur-driven trips. He later apologised but said he had no regrets about calling the police. Three people have been arrested and could face jail if convicted over the leaks. MPs on the committee said: "Where PCCs are considered to have exceeded their powers or otherwise behaved inappropriately, it is unacceptable that those who expose the matter should be at risk of losing their jobs, or face other reprisals."