MPs must accept outcome
As a long-time supporter of Freedom of Information, I welcome the debate about MPs' expenses. I published mine on line as soon as possible.
It seems to me we should ask questions about two things: individual items and total claims.
With regard to the first, I have considered very carefully all of the comments about my claim for the cost of my toaster. It is clear that most of those who have commented think that the claim was unreasonable. I have therefore decided to make a donation of the equivalent amount to a charity of the editor's choice.
In terms of my total claims for the cost of living away from my constituency home, these were higher, as the Post correctly reported, in the initial years after I moved to my current London address. Last year, after initial set-up costs, they fell to 60 per cent of the maximum amount allowed.
Currently, my total costs of living in London, including mortgage interest, are running at less than £550 per month. It isn't possible to rent a one-bedroom flat in London for anything like this amount. A typical figure would be three times as much.
While I believe therefore that my expenses are reasonable, I strongly support an independent examination of all MPs' expenses, with a clear commitment from us that we will accept the outcome of such an examination without any qualifications. We must recognise the real anger and dismay about some of the revelations concerning MPs' expenses and allowances and act accordingly.
Roger Berry MP, Labour, Kingswood.
4 Comments
by margaret, hartcliffe
Friday, May 29 2009, 11:52PM
“i would like to know why these m ps are noy being charged with fraudulent claims of goverment money the same as benefit fraud ,when most of the people fraudulently claiming are doing it (maybe wrongly) but to survive and not out of greed like the m ps”
by wayne, bristol
Friday, May 29 2009, 2:11AM
“i would like to know why people are so against the bnp having looked on all the parties websites to find out what the main policies are.they the bnp have some great policies plain simple and commen sense.I dont put my self up as being from any political party.and from the policies that they have none where narrow minded or racist they were just what is needed and if the other parties would step back from there own agendas they would see that these policies would do a lot to make our country great again..”
by lee mason, patchway
Wednesday, May 27 2009, 2:22PM
“I believe the whole expenses issue is being very badly handled and the only winners in the saga have been the media circus around it. The M.P.'s still cant see what they have done wrong and the press are hounding good quality politicians to promote paper sales.
If we are not careful our future will be in the hands of narrow minded individuals and we will all suffer. In reality do we want the BNP or the green party in control? Simple controls can be put in place to prevent repetition and transparancy. would it not be more feasable to have a MP accomodation built so all they require is available on getting elected. This could be funded at considerably less expense than that being claimed so far and takes the second home issue out of the equation. The home has to be in the constituancy the MP represents and they would gain nothing from that which they already have.
My only quibble now is that if we don't have an open and public enquiry before an election those MP's that have blatently extracted the preverbial will not be held to account and can walk away with a fat pension on top of the benefits they have milked.
Like or loathe the people in power, they do a job with strange hours away from their homes and were given the position on the back of approval by those who bothered to vote. Maybe the electorate should take a closer look to home first.
Let us all be careful we dont cut off our noses to spite our face and find a sensible solution to a fairly easily rectified problem.”
by Annette Hennessy, Portishead
Wednesday, May 27 2009, 9:28AM
“Admittedly, Roger Berry MP has been very open about his expenses but his claim for household goods does highlight the disparity between what he thinks is a reasonable cost compared to what many of the public feel is reasonable. There will always be a gulf in financial common sense between differing salary earners. MPs can choose more expensive goods to match their lifestyle when they are using their own money, but when they are claiming back this money as expenses from the public's purse, then their purchases should not be luxury goods. Sadly so many MPs are handing back money only when faced with public outrage without truly admitting they were wrong to have carelessly spent OUR money in the first place.”