MP will no longer claim for second home
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by Simon Tulett
Dartford's MP says he will no longer claim a
second home allowance, following a week of expenses
shocks.
Dr Howard Stoate has
announced he will no longer submit a claim for the Parliamentary additional costs
allowance, which allows MPs
to claim for costs associated with staying away from their main
home.
The decision follows a Commons
vote which means MPs
whose constituencies fall entirely within a 20-mile radius of
Westminster will no longer be able to make claims from the ACA as
of next year.
Dartford is not one of the constituencies affected by the ruling
but Dr Stoate, who has
claimed about £56,000 out of a possible £88,000 for a London
flat since 2004, has decided to voluntarily give it up.
His
decision is effective
from the start of this
financial year on April 1.
Dr Stoate
said: “Although Dartford is not directly affected by this
ruling, I wanted to abide by the spirit of the motion which is that
MPs with constituencies next to the border of Greater London should
no longer submit additional costs allowance. The Commons has made
its feelings on this issue very clear and I think it would be wrong
of me to fly in its face."
For more news from the Dartford area, go to www.dartfordmessenger.co.uk
Friday, May 15 2009
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