KENT NEWS: The county's MPs have been ordered to pay back a combined total of more than £30,000 after an inquiry into their expenses claims.
A report by Sir Thomas Legg reviewing House of Commons expenses revealed that 13 of the county’s MPs had outstanding sums to pay.
This figure dropped to 12 following a successful appeal by North Thanet MP Roger Gale, who had faced repayments of £2,452.47 for parliamentary telephone bills and alleged payment of 13 months’ rent.
He appealed to High Court judge Sir Paul Kennedy, who is dealing with any challenges.
Mr Gale said: “I had never refused to repay any sums properly due and, indeed, had indicated to Sir Paul that if he found any repayment to be warranted then I would accept his adjudication without question.”
He is the only Kent MP to have been successful in his plight, after fellow Tory Michael Howard, who represents Folkestone and Hythe, failed in his challenge.
Mr Howard was ordered to pay back £7,039 after exceeding the £1,000 a year limit imposed retrospectively for cleaning and gardening after the expenses scandal.
Some MPs have complained these charges are “unfair”, with a number getting their repayment orders scrapped.
Maidstone and Weald Tory MP Ann Widdecombe criticised the retrospective limits which resulted in her having to pay £230.
While agreeing to settle the payment, she stressed she had been cleared of any abuse of the system as there had been no limit on gardening expenditure when the claim was originally made.
Along with other MPs who feel they have been unfairly tainted through these retrospective charges, she called the review “lazy, incompetent and illogical”.
Another of the county’s MPs to become embroiled in this latest expenses saga is Paul Clark, Labour MP for Gillingham and Rainham. Sir Thomas’ report said the transport minister must pay back more than £11,000 in second-home allowance.
This is the highest amount ordered for repayment from all the Kent MPs.
But Mr Clark said the figure was a “simple oversight” and that he had already appealed against the decision.
“In the run up to Christmas I failed to realise Sir Thomas was requesting new supporting information for the first time, about the 2008-09 claim for mortgage interest payments,” he said.
“By the time I realised this, the deadline for submitting this supporting information had passed. As soon as I became aware of this omission I submitted all the relevant documentation to the review body and they received it last week, prior to the report going to the printers.”
Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey Derek Wyatt has also lodged an appeal for his repayment of £3,611.50.
More than 350 MPs have been ordered to pay back a total of about £1.1 million following Sir Thomas’ inquiry.
POSTED: 07/02/2010 15:00:00
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