Sharpe's Opinion
Thursday, 14th May, 2009
Blue Eyes Has A Solution to the Expenses Problem
With no need for an ‘independent review’ to spend thousands figuring it out, either…
Each prospective MP should put in his or her manifesto what he or she proposed to claim in expenses. Not necessarily in cash terms but in terms of what they hope the taxpayer will fund. So if I was standing in my local constituency I would say ‘I live in the constituency already and it is pretty close to Westminster so I don’t need any extra funds for a second London home’. A candidate in Glasgow might say ‘I need a flat in London and a weekly return ticket from Glasgow to London so I will claim for that’.
It’s an idea based on a system of trust between constituents and their MPs. Coupled with immediate publishing of receipts it could work very well indeed.
Thanks. Although I didn’t include it in the post because I was side-tracked, I did assume that claims and receipts would be published under my scheme. I should have said so explicitly because of course it is not necessarily a given under current circumstances.
Blue Eyes
May 14, 2009 at 12:57 pm