MP emerges unscathed from expenses row (From Brentwood Weekly News)

MP emerges unscathed from expenses row

4:19pm Thursday 25th June 2009

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MP Eric Pickles’ expenses showed he spent hundreds on unspecified repairs, insurance or security.

Since details of MPs’ expenses went online last week, the Brentwood MP may appear to have escaped relatively unscathed – there have been no telling revelations of Mr Pickles claiming for flat screen TVs, or for redecorating his Wapping, London flat.

Nor have papers got down to the embarassing specific purchases like Pot Noodles and action movies, as claimed by Rayleigh MP Mark Francois and Billericay MP John Baron respectively.

There was that disastrous appearance on Question Time, when the MP and chairman of the Conservative Party came under fierce criticism from the Newcastle audience for having a second home in London, when his constituency is less than 30 miles away.

But since then, little detailed information has come out about his claims.

This is not because they are particularly low – he claimed £135,829 in the year 2007/8, while the highest claimer, MP Eric Joyce, Falkirk, put in for £187,334.

It is because the Tory politician rarely makes claims for any one item costing over £250 – the level at which, under the old system, MPs had to include a receipt – leaving those trawling through his records to guess what many of the claims were for.

For example, the shadow communities secretary’s expenses spanning the period April 2004 to March 2008, consistently showed the MP putting in claims of hundreds of pounds in the section marked ‘repairs, insurance, services’.

In December 2006, an official from the parliamentary office wrote to him asking for extra details to be included with the claims in the future, to which Mr Pickles agreed.

In January 2006 he claimed £376, in March £417, in April £476, in July £579, June £560, May £562, August £323, September £376, October £380, and November £486, under the ‘repairs, insurance, services’ section.

After December, the claims nearly halved – his December claim dropped to £185.

Subsequent claims were regularly under £200, the lowest being £74 in January 2007, and the highest being £225 in July 2007.

Mr Pickles explained: “In 2006 I was doing work on my flat, for instance the tiles in my bathroom fell off. That money includes ground rent, boiler problems, leaks and all sorts of things which need to be done.”

The MP also pointed out his repairs, insurance and security claims were lower in 2005.

In the year 2004/5, Mr Pickles claimed just under £3,000 for repairs, insurance, services; in 2005/6 he claimed nearly £3,000; in 2006/7 he claimed more than £4,500.

The MP added: “There was no suggestion that I’d done anything wrong.”

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