THE cost of a £5.50 car wash and a £200-a-night stay in a hotel are among the expenses logged by the Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner and his deputy.

Ian Johnston and Paul Harris claimed £4,210 and £1,999 in expenses and expenditure respectively since the PCC office was established in November 2012.

The PCC’s office says all expenses are subjected to “rigorous verification and auditing” by the commissioner’s chief executive.

Expenses, reimbursed to the commissioner or his deputy, and expenditure, incurred by the PCC’s office on behalf of the PCC and DPCC, are detailed on the PCC’s website.

According to the site, Paul Harris claimed £5.50 for a car wash in June. 5, 2013 He also incurred £1,316 for train journeys including on the London Underground.

A spokeswoman for the PCC’s office said it was necessary for the car to be cleaned as it was booked for a senior officer the next day. As the deputy PCC had arrived back at headquarters late there was no time for it to be done by the workshop.

Mr Johnston incurred more than £1,300 for accommodation, including a one-night stay at the four-star Opulence Hotel, central London, for his appearance at the Home Affairs Select Committee on July 2.

He incurred £1,782 in mileage costs and £406 for trains.

A spokeswoman for the PCC’s office said the £200 hotel stay was a last-minute booking during a time that hotel rooms were in short supply over Wimbledon finals week.

The spokeswoman added: “The expenses are subjected to rigorous verification and auditing by the Commissioner’s Chief Executive and exceptional expenses are only granted with the approval of the Chief Executive using strict criteria considering the circumstance; whether the expense could have been avoided and whether the expense was necessary for the Commissioner to carry out his duties.”

Meanwhile the PCC has said that the running costs of his office in its first year is less than the equivalent Gwent Police Authority costs in 2012-13 – the last full financial year of its existence before it was abolished.

The police authority cost £808,022 that year, compared to £761,797 for the PCC’s office.

Mr Johnston said: “This year we are able to show clearly that we have made a significant saving compared to the previous administration and that we represent value for money, which is something I promised to the people of Gwent.”