Phone bill topped £1,600 in just one month

The bill for the phone allocated to Dave McLuckie totalled £1,661.62 for February last year while another bill for May 2010 ran to £303.69.

Cleveland Police Authority paid 90 per cent of the bills with Coun McLuckie contributing 10 per cent under an agreed protocol for all police authority members and senior staff given mobile phones.

It is unclear when the protocol for personal contributions was established but it appears to have been brought in to ensure a guaranteed element of personal payment and avoid costs for itemised billing.

However, in the light of the level of bills discovered the police authority has decided to change its policy and will now use itemised billing to pinpoint and personal calls which may have been made.

Coun McLuckie declined to comment when asked about the bills run up on his mobile phone.

Records of his bills going back to January 2009 show monthly bills in 2009 totalling £255.44, £211.62 and £206.88. On each occasion Coun McLuckie has made a 10 per cent payment towards costs.

There is another bill in 2009 for £678.74 which Coun McLuckie paid £14.78 towards, plus one for £144.95 for which there was no personal contribution.

However, Cleveland Police Authority records showed Vodafone had paid a series of subtantial credits for the phone between early 2009 and April 2010. The police authority said it did not have a record of why the credits were paid but they may mean Coun McLuckie’s liability and use of the phone between those dates was lower than might otherwise appear.

There were no credits post April 2010 during which time monthly bills topped £100 six times up to September 2011, plus the further bills for £1661.62 and £303.69.

A Cleveland Police Authority spokesman said: “We have reviewed the procedure and can now get itemised bills without any additional cost. The policy now will be that itemised bills will be looked at and any private calls identified and paid for.”