HUMBERSIDE Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Grove spent more than £28,000 on his successful election campaign.
It was funded by Conservative party members and private individuals.
Figures have been released on how much candidates paid out in their bid to become Humberside's first Police And Crime Commissioner – and totalled more than £100,000.
While Mr Grove spent £27,481 on printing campaign leaflets, Labour candidate Lord Prescott spent £23,485 on his failed bid to become the region's first commissioner, including more than £10,000 of his own money.
Mr Grove said: "It was absolutely worth it. These costs are just the tip of the iceberg because the distribution of the leaflets was done by an army of volunteers.
"They gave me their shoe leather to spend hours and days treading the streets, putting hundreds of thousands of pieces of paper through people's letterboxes. I owe them a huge debt of thanks.
"Without all that effort, I would not have won."
Mr Grove spent £375 hiring a room at Rudstone Walk, near South Cave, for a meeting with Tory peer Lord Wasserman. His campaign team also hired the Conservative party offices, in Brigg and Goole, for £437.
Mr Grove said the biggest donation was £2,000 from a London-based company.
He said: "That was because of who I was standing against.
"I think, in this area, people didn't know who they wanted to be their Police and Crime Commissioner, but it was clear who they didn't want it to be.
"It was a close-run thing in the end, but my team worked very, very hard and I think that is why we won.
"I was very much the underdog, but I wanted the people of East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire to know who I was and what I was standing for and that is why the leaflets were so important."
Mr Grove said he received a handwritten letter from Prime Minister David Cameron after his election victory, saying he had "put a smile on the face of the nation" for beating Lord Prescott.
"There aren't many people who can say they've done that," said Mr Grove.
Lord Prescott received £12,615 in donations, most for the use of Labour party offices. Jack Chu, owner of Mr Chu China Palace, in St Andrew's Quay, Hull, also allowed Lord Prescott to use his restaurant for a meeting with former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
It was said to be worth £300.
During his campaign, in which he toured the region in a converted people carrier daubed with stickers, Lord Prescott crossed the Humber Bridge 23 times.
Both candidates fell far short of the limit for campaign costs, which was set at £126,520 for the area.