Urgent calls have been made for a major review of publicly funded living allowances made available to the PSNI’s chief constable.

Today the Belfast Telegraph reveals for the first time the cost of maintaining a home for Northern Ireland’s most senior police officer.

Demands have now been made by former Police Federation chairman and member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Jimmy Spratt, to reign in the costs before a new chief constable is appointed later this year.

The allowance package available to the chief constable currently includes rent-free living in a £600,000 luxury home and the payment from the PSNI budget of all utility bills, including phone bills, electricity, rates, heating and property maintenance.

This is on top of a £180,000 plus salary and an annual bonus of up to 15%.

The current package of pay and allowances for a PSNI chief constable also include annual payments of £360 a year for broadband access, £600 for private healthcare as well as the payment of membership fees for Association of Chief Police Officer (ACPO) and the Chief Police Officers' Staff Association (CPOSA), believed to total £1000 annually.

All of the chief constable’s utility bills have been picked up since he moved into the luxury home in North Down in the 2004/05 financial year. The property was purchased in 2004 from the NIO by the Policing Board for £600,000 and is now part of the police estate and available for the use of future chief constables.

According to information obtained from the Northern Ireland Policing Board under the Freedom of Information Act by Mr Spratt, since then almost £100,000 has been spent upgrading and repairing the property.

The largest expenditure was in 2008/09 when £59,027 was spent, of which £33,904 was spent to repair “defective combined drainage system” and replace the kitchen.

A Policing Board spokeswoman said: “The salary and package of allowances payable to chief police officers are agreed on a national basis through the Police Negotiating Board.

“Individual authorities are responsible for agreeing employment packages for officers appointed and this includes the provision of chief constable's |living accommodation.

“The accommodation arrangement in place for the PSNI chief constable is comparable to arrangements in place for chief constables across the UK.

“The Board keeps the package of allowances payable under review to ensure that the package attracts a high calibre of candidates.

“The chief c onstable is ultimately responsible for an organisation of over 10,000 people and the salary and allowances payable reflect this high level of responsibility.”

In response to the request for information under the Freedom of information Act, a Policing Board spokesperson said the property was not in good repair when it was first purchased.

“Some work was carried out in the first year, but there were ongoing problems, in particular with the drainage system, in years following the acquisition.

“The PSNI Estates branch eventually concluded that to address the problems there was no option other than carry out significant works to ensure the required standards were met.”

The spokesperson added: “The PSNI also state that a lot of this |expenditure no doubt will have enhanced the value of the property, addressing deficiencies existing upon acquisition, increasing market value and asset worth, and a significant portion of this expenditure needs to be recognised more of a capital rather than a revenue nature.”

Other bills picked up throughout that time include £35.53 to replace a latch on a kitchen window, £75 to spray a wasp nest outside the house, £550 to replace dining room curtains and £1,080 to replace a dining room carpet.

In addition, £8,294 was paid for oil and £13,413 was paid for rates. Thousands of pounds have also been paid in electricity and phone bills, however the full amount has not yet been made available.

The chief constable pays for his own TV licence and for cable, satellite or digital television services. He also pays his own insurance against theft or damage of personal items.

A recommendation is to be placed before the Policing Board next month to change the|allowance package so that any future chief constable has to pay his own utility bills.

DUP Policing Board member Jimmy Spratt has now called for an urgent review of all bonus and allowance packages for all senior PSNI officers and senior members of civilian staff.

“This is not about our current Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde, he is receiving what he is entitled to. This is about the whole system for remuneration, allowance and bonus packages for all senior officers and senior members of civilian staff. The whole thing needs to be looked at. We need much more openness and transparency in relation to bonuses and allowances for all senior members of staff,” said Mr Spratt.

He added: “Given the current economic climate we seriously need to review all of this.

“We need a radical rethink and relook at packages. We have been critical about bonus claims and allowances for senior civil servants.

“The government urgently needs to reflect on this. It is not justifiable, this is money out of the public purse. A big debate is needed here at national level.”

A spokesman for the PSNI said it is a matter for the Policing Board. All chief police officers across the UK receive a remuneration package which is negotiated nationally at the Police Negotiating Board (PNB). The Northern Ireland Policing Board, the NIO and the Police Federation, all have seats at PNB.

The packages negotiated at PNB consist of nationally agreed pay rates, level and criteria for bonus payments and nationally agreed terms and conditions of service, including allowances paid to all officers. Along with the nationally agreed package, each local police force can set its own allowances.

There is currently no requirement to disclose details of allowance packages, therefore the Northern Ireland Policing Board has been unable to compare the package with other UK forces.