Kent’s first police commissioner Ann Barnes has announced her chief of staff - on a salary of £90,000.

It will bring to £230,000 the total sum paid out to her three senior team members. The new kid on the block will be Mike Stepney, a senior RAF officer currently based at strategic HQ near High Wycombe.

His appointment, is still subject to being rubber-stamped by the Police and Crime Panel, made up of members from KCC, Medway Council and district councils.

The announcement follows swiftly on the heels of Mrs Barnes renewing the contracts of two special advisers who helped her election campaign.

One was Peter Carroll, who stood as the Lib-Dem’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Maidstone and the Weald at the last general election and successful campaigned for Gurkha rights with actress Joanna Lumley. The other is Cranbrook businessman Howard Cox.

Their renewed contracts - for another six months - means they will have each been paid over £70,000 in one year.