POLICE and crime commissioners for Cleveland and North Yorkshire are to collaborate over a senior role to save public money.

Julia Mulligan and Barry Coppinger have agreed to share the post of chief finance officer between their offices.

Michael Porter, chief finance officer for the PCC for Cleveland will now split his time between North Yorkshire and Cleveland.

The chief finance officer is responsible for advising the police and crime commissioners on all financial matters, ensuring that public money is used appropriately and that services are value for money.

Ms Mulligan said: “As Police and Crime Commissioner, I want to ensure we get best value for money for the public purse, and sharing some back-office resources is just one of many ways that we are working to do this in North Yorkshire.

"I’d like to welcome Michael to the team, and I look forward to working with him to ensure we manage resources efficiently in all areas of our activity.”

Mr Coppinger said: “One of my five main priorities is to forge better links between agencies and I’m delighted that as Police and Crime Commissioners, we are able to take this opportunity to share services.

“I will continue to encourage further collaboration opportunities with partner agencies and emergency services so that we can make the best use of our limited resources.”