Southend West MP comes under fire from LibDem opponent (Southend Liberal Democrats)

Southend Liberal Democrats <info@southendlibdems.co.uk>

Southend West MP comes under fire from LibDem opponent

June 19, 2009 10:00 AM

Peter Welch PPC In a letter to David Amess MP, LibDem PPC Peter Welch raised a number of issues to which the local MP has consistently failed to give answers to. Peter Welch published his letter earlier as follows

Thursday, 18 June 2009

Mr D Amess MP

House of Commons

London SW1A 1AA

Dear Mr Amess

Taxpayers are furious about the blacked-out, non-publication of MPs' expenses, and you are going to bear the brunt of their anger.

I know you have been one of the foremost opponents of reform of the system - and one of the very small number of opposition MPs to vote against reform last year. No doubt you will come to regret that almost as much as your support for Tony Blair and his disastrous invasion of Iraq. Like most Liberal Democrats, I am proud that no MP from my party voted with you on either of these issues. But even you must recognise that the current situation is intolerable.

The limited insight we have been given has at least made one thing clear. The system you have defended means that MPs have the laxist rules imaginable. They don't need to justify any expense under £250. They can put in a claim for £400 a month for food, with no justification whatsoever. And in the few instances where a bill is required, they are allowed to censor the details put into the public domain.

This is my understanding of the claims you have made for the "Additional Cost Allowance" (compensating you for commuting from Southend):

you are one of a group of just 32 MPs to have claimed the maximum for food - £400 month in, month out, with no sign of a receipt, and regardless of whether parliament was sitting or not
your charge for mortgage costs is £600 month in month out, and again no document has been published to support this claim
all the other claims are for round figures below the £250 point where receipts have to be produced (I note that some bills are available).

Essentially you appear to have received around £60 000 over the last three years, without being required to publish supporting documentation.

But the mystery does not end there. The figures produced also cover Incidental Expenses Provision (for offices and staff). And these provide three further mysteries which I would like to invite you to clear up:

there are regular payments to something called "Westminster Consultancy" for sums in amounting to tens of thousands of pounds. The published invoices are handwritten, do not give a VAT number, and give only the vaguest indication of the services provided. Who are "Westminster Consultancy"? What are their tax arrangements?
there are regular payments to Southend West Conservatives. These have risen from £3500 in 2004/2005 to £4750 in 2007/2008. The payments are said to be for the cost of the use of the hall and office space. But the accounts of Southend West Conservative Association do not provide an explanation for such an increase in costs, do not explain why these figures should be charged, and do not record any such income in 2004 or in 2005. Where did the money go for those years? Does the money you have passed from taxpayer to your association really represent State Aid for your political campaigning? I note that in recent accounts, the cash inflow is classified as "Contribution from the House of Commons".
the expenses claimed included numerous claims for £250 in petty cash. How has this money been used? Do you consider this to be acceptable use of public money?

Finally I note that you charge more for travel expenses than most of your local colleagues. Will you now explain why this is the case?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Peter Welch