GMP pay £22,000 to listen to music at work

Greater Manchester Police paid £22,200 for a licence so staff could listen to music in offices in the past year.

The Performing Right Society (PRS) collects the fees and pays royalties to artists.

The cost of licences depends on a variety of factors, including the number of listeners and whether music is played in a work or a recreational area.

Music used on telephone lines when people are put on hold also has to be paid for.

Exceptions to police being liable to pay the licence fee include workers listening to a device through headphones or where music is needed in the investigation of a crime.

Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "This bill should not be borne by taxpayers, therefore spending on the licences should be axed.

"When police forces across the country have to balance their budgets, this is an easy way for them to save money and focus funds on catching criminals and preventing crime."

The head of the finance department of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Chief Constable Nick Gargan, said he would rather budgets were spent on "fighting crime and keeping people safe".