MP's expenses

Absolutely agree with you Lilygran. We are fortunate in that our local MP was born in the area, worked in the area and his family live here. He joins constituents in campaigns to protect local services, e.g. libraries, youth services, mental health services and A&E. I'm so irritated by the noise and nonsense at PMQ's, by the slippery way in which so many politicians never answer a direct question, expenses, etc etc that I may be inclined either not to vote, or spoil my ballot paper if we weren't represented be a real person, with a life similar to that of the people he represents.

What I didn't understand about Maria Miller is why she needed a second home when her constituency is Basingstoke. Western Isles, Cornwall, even Newcastle, hard to commute daily. But Basingstoke? I'll vote for mrsmopp's block of flats. And their spouses and families should stay in the constituency and experience local health care and education and policing. It makes me so cross to hear our MP talking about local conditions when he and his family all live in London. And so many of them, all parties, are parachuted in from central office with no local knowledge or interests.

That is a very handy sum isn't it mrsmopp, more than most people can ever hope to earn in a year and far above the 'average' wage.

I wonder if Mr C could be persuaded to donate the rental income, which he doesn't need, to a housing charity or similar. So far as I know, he doesn't pay rent on number 10, or chequers, so he's quids in, particularly given the ridiculous way in which house prices are rising in London.

I still believe MP's should be paid more, similar to head teachers and GP's, or managers in industry etc. Their main home should be in their constituency, and some form of basic accommodation provided for them when they're in London. Expenses should be monitored in the same way they are for other public servants. There are set amounts for meals, petrol, rail/air travel and alcohol is never claimable.

Not illegal, but David Cameron is renting out his London home while he lives in Downing Street. The rent is £6000 a month!! So a very handy £72,000 a year extra income on top of his pay and allowances and everything else. No wonder he let Maria Miller get away with her claims. He still claimed 40p for a bulldog clip.
Don't they realise how angry we all are with them? They have learned nothing after the last expenses scandal.
Build a block of flats, stick them all in there and do away with expenses altogether. Bunch of fraudsters they are and they don't even think they are doing anything wrong. No conscience at all. And they have the nerve to cut benefits from the worst off in society in order to balance the books. Grrrrrrrrr!!

Ana

I'm sorry. Do you know I think I have said Anna on more than one occasion. No excuses, word blindness.

(PS My name is Ana)

Oh, sorry. I thought you were asking what IPSA was.

Anna

I was addressing the question as a generalisation to the Iam64's post re the petition.

"Have you signed then petition on line to stop MP's policing their own expenses"

I thought was IPSA was set up to do.

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, POGS.

It's the 'Do you know who I am' syndrome ( ie I am not a pleb, therefore untouchable)

To which the answer is 'I've no idea, why, have you forgotten?'

What is IPSA then. Am I missing something.

thanks for posting the link glass, I promise myself to learn how to do this - one day

Just signed the petition. Thanks glass.

I've signed.

link to petition
Here is the link again for anyone wanting to sign.

Have you signed the petition on line to stop MP's policing their own expenses Nonu

It is a national scandal that MP"s can police their own expenses, IMO.

I'm not arguing with your point, POGS, of course they're all hypocrites! But as I've said on another thread, Maria Miller not only over-claimed expenses, but deliberately obstructed the investigation into her case, and her required 'apology' was embarrassing to watch.

To my mind, there's a difference between 'getting away with it' just because you can, deplorable though that is, and being arrogant enough to assume you should be untouchable just because you are in a certain position.

Anna

I think there have been changes since 2010.

The point I am making is the hypocrisy is astounding. To watch MPs who have also been cleared of wrong doing, as Maria Miller has also been cleared on one of the allegation, sneer and laugh as though they were not tainted makes me sick. Some of them have 'legally conned' the tax payer of greater sums of money than Miller too.

I say ask again, why ask for her resignation but not theirs??

Its a disgrace the way MPs have been given a free hand with their own expenses, here is a petition if you want to sign it, it wouldnt happen in any other business. stop MPs policing their own expenses

It is morally wrong to deliberately set out to wangle as much money as you can out of a allowance system, even if you are withing the rules.

I said this elsewhere the other day: give an annual expenses allowance based on a) distance/travel time from Westminster & Constituency and b) earned and unearned income over and above MP salary. No claims just a set allowance

I think the rules have changed since the 'flipping' scandal, POGS, but I may be wrong.

What do you think about the expenses and 'flipping of homes' that Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper performed. They flipped homes I think it was 3 times in one year. He was Secretary of State for Schools and she was the Housing Minister at the time. They bought a home in Stoke Newington, north London, whilst staying in London to be near work. They exploited the Allowance System to help pay for the Stoke Newongton home valued at the time to be worth £655.000. if I'm not mistake.

Perhaps there should have been a cry out for their resignations at the time. All three parties had their noses in the trough and I would have thought John Mann might have felt it was as appropriate then as it is now to call for resignations.

Look at Hazel Blears, Lord Mandelson, Jacqui Smith, Alistair Darling. Maria Miller was wrong but hells bells there is some hypocrisy coming from Labour.

I think having called for her resignation then that should apply the same to all of them, past and present. If not, why not!!!

I am not defending Maria Miller but I hate the hypocrisy of it all.

After the Olympics, it was often suggested that the government buy some of the athlete accommodation for MP's to use when in London. I resent my hard earned cash being used to support MP's buying in London where house prices are rocketing. It feels like a pension investment to me. It's just wrong. I'd pay MP's twice their current salaries, provide a one bedroom flat for them to live in if their constituencies are out of commuting distance and an exact list of claimable expenses. Public servants are clear what can/can't be claimed, and what the limits are. Why should MP's be treated differently. If MP's choose to live in London, and bring their families to the capital, they can either rent or buy, it's up to them, but I don't want to pay for it.

But Maria Miller was using her London home as her second home even though that was the one where her family lived.
That's the problem of many MPs not living in the constituency they represent. They just pretend to, and have their family base in London.