Bristol MP: Expenses make us look like crooks

Northavon MP Steve Webb says he has he has been frugal with his expenses compared with some of his more extravagant colleagues.

The Liberal Democrat insists he had nothing to hide when MPs' claims were made public for the first time last week and has criticised the censorship of the expenses documents, which he believes makes all MPs "look like crooks".

As evidence of his caution, he says his one-bedroom Westminster flat is sparsely furnished with a sofa, single bed bought from Argos and a portable television set.

Although he was the highest claimant of all the MPs in the Bristol area in 2007/08, Mr Webb says he has already received messages of praise from his constituents for the prudence he has shown in his claims.

He said: "One of my constituents left a message on my Facebook page and said 'I've read through your expenses, thanks for being squeaky clean'. Another constituent rang the office said they had read through them and had expected to be outraged but wasn't."

Mr Webb claimed £552,335 in expenses in the period between 2004/5 and 2007/8. He was the 113th highest claimant out of 645 MPs in 2007/8, with claims totalling £158,796.

Mr Webb rents office space from Yate Parish Council and says he has the equivalent of 3.4 full-time staff working there, including a personal assistant and case workers. He also has an office in Westminster and employs a parliamentary researcher.

The Liberal Democrat says he prides himself in employing "good people" and says two-thirds of his expenses go towards staff costs.

He says he was keen for his expenses to be released uncensored, apart from his signature and credit card number, and has already made his expenses for 2008/9 available for people to see on his website.

Mr Webb said: "The censorship of the documents is ludicrous and it makes us all look like crooks. It makes honest MPs look like crooks.

"The expenses documents had been censored when we received them from the Department of Resources and we were encouraged not to amend them.

"I'd have preferred to have released the whole lot. Only my credit card number and signature should have been blacked out.

"It's a complete own goal for parliament and if any of my constituents want to know the full details of my claims, I will tell them."

Mr Webb claimed a total of £116,639 in Parliamentary expenses and allowances in 2004/5, ranking him 467th out of 659 MPs, £132,745 in 2005-06, ranking him 238th of 645 MPs, £144,175 the following year, ranking him 192nd, and £158,796 in 2007-08, ranking him 113th.

He moved from a bedsit flat in Westminster, which he sold for £195,000, and paid £280,000 for one-bedroom flat nearby in 2006, but has already promised that the taxpayers won't lose out because of the move. The mortgage interest payments he claimed went up from £678 to £1,158 a month as a result of the move.

The Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions said: "When I sold the flat I paid full capital gains tax. The taxpayer helped me buy the flat and when it's sold, every penny of proceeds will go to the taxpayer and at the moment that stands to be about £30,000."

Other notable claims made by Mr Webb in the four-year period were for cleaning costs in 2006 and decorating his new home in 2007.

Of the decorating costs, Mr Webb said: "When I moved into the new flat it needed a good lick of paint and smartening up. People see the story about duck island and think all MPs are lavish, but I sit in my flat with a portable TV when others have plasma screens. Expenses shouldn't be for personal gain and should be used to pay for modest furnishings. My flat is pretty bare and I've got a single bed from Argos."

Mr Webb says some of the items purchased for cleaning, such as an Electrolux cleaner bought for £59.99 in 2006, would last him many years.

Mr Webb says software and IT consultancy he purchased with his expenses has allowed him to scan paperwork received from constituents in his Yate office and access them in his Westminster office.

He says the money he paid to the Lib Dems' Parliamentary Office allows him to access background information on a range of issues his constituents write to him about.

Mr Webb said £3,287.50 paid for a paper folding and envelope stuffing machine in 2007 has saved him money because he no longer needs to pay staff to stuff envelopes to send out in the post.