Hospitality between press and police is drastically lower at regional forces compared with the Metropolitan Police, the Leveson Inquiry has heard.Tim Gordon, editor of the South Wales Echo, said the average reporter on his paper spends 71p a week taking individuals out.He said: "I have no issue with a journalist taking someone out for a drink or lunch, it's just we don't do it very often."The South Wales Echo is owned by Trinity Mirror, which has a policy stating every expenses claim must been signed off by a senior editor.Gordon told the inquiry his crime reporter was told Gwent police were "tightening up" as a result of the Leveson Inquiry and the Filkin report, examining police relationships. The editor said it has become increasingly difficult to get information from the police, especially over weekends when the force press office is closed.He added: "It is really important that the information flow [from police to the press] is fast."Adrian Faber, editor of the Birmingham Express and Star, said his reporters do not spend "much more" than the figure given by Gordon, and most meetings with police take place in the office.He said a "drink or a coffee or a sandwich" was perfectly acceptable, but anything further would blur the boundaries of propriety.Faber told Lord Justice Leveson he fear the restriction of information from the police, and thought asking officers to record all contact with journalists would have a negative effect.He said his paper, with a staff of 100 journalists, was able to cover the courts and council meetings in the area, but the impact of the internet meant an increasing pressure on his newsroom.He added: "The problem all newspapers face is having to resource websites and at the same time attempt to make money."The inquiry also heard from Chief Constable Chris Sims of West Midlands Police, and the force's head of press Chief Inspector Sally Seeley.Sims, who worked at the Met for 15 years as a junior officer, said he had been surprised by evidence heard at the inquiry and had never been offered hospitality of that kind from local newspapers, including the Birmingham Express and Star.He added: "I genuinely think they don't happen beyond that particular era and location."Sims said officers from the force often used social media to keep the public informed, but these accounts are monitored by the press office. He warned against recording all contact between police and the press.He said: "We shouldn't equate integrity with recording processes. Recording has very limited impact on personal behaviour."Seeley told the inquiry she is the only police officer in the press office, and five of the 30 staff had trained in journalism.Lord Justice Leveson noted policy of having a serving officer as head of press at the force as helpful in limiting "cosy" relationships with journalists.