He may be stepping down next year, but perhaps taxpayers might want him to stay on after a report revealed Essex’s Police and Crime Commissioner was among the most cost-effective in the country.

A report, published today by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, showed that office was the second cheapest of its kind in the UK, below the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley. Figures for 2013/14 show Mr Alston reduced the office’s budget by £159,000 from when the former police authority ran it in 2010/11.

Despite this, his office spent an extra £160,000 on employing staff, 68.5 per cent of his budget. The Police Authority spent 46.7 per cent of the budget on staff.

According to the report, each member of the electorate pays just 81p a year for the Essex PCC compared to the UK’s most expensive PCC in Cambridgeshire, where residents pay just under £3.

Mr Alston, who announced he will step down in May after serving since November 2012, said: “I welcome the report as I and my office have always strived for transparency on these matters and regularly publish our accounts on my website. I am extremely proud of my highly-professional and hardworking team.

“The report shows my office is the second cheapest in the country and I spend significantly less than the former police authority.

“I believe I am providing better value for money and more open and effective scrutiny of the police force than under the old authority.”

According to the report, he employs 15 staff, three of whom are to specifically promote his role. However, he said his promotions staff were, in fact, less than those identified in the report.

He said: “I do promote my work and that of the office through professional media staff. I regard it as essential that the Essex public knowwhat I am doing on their behalf.

“However, I employ just one full-time communications manager and one part-time media and engagement officer, who is currently a shared resource with Essex Police. “ The report explained that Essex’s PCC office would have to save an additional £253,765 if it was to spend as little as Thames Valley PCC.