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DIY MP splashes more expenses cash on second home

By: KentOnline reporter multimediadesk@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 10:21, 17 December 2009

Dr Howard Stoate, MP for Dartford

Handy Howard Stoate has been splashing out more expenses cash on his second home.

Dartford's MP spent more than £16,000 kitting out his London pad between 2005 and 2008, as the Messenger revealed when details of MPs' expenses were first published in May.

But in 2008/09 the DIY dab hand was at it again, according to the latest set of receipts released, splashing out a further £1,500 on sprucing up his one-bedroom Kennington flat and handing taxpayers the bill.

The reimbursement claim was part of a £11,255 total submitted as Dr Stoate's second home allowance, which he handed back in the wake of the national expenses scandal.

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The decorating doctor, who works at a GP surgery in Bexleyheath, bought items for his city bolthole ranging from a £26.98 safety helmet to a £224 replacement shower.

He even claimed for a £15 hairdryer from Currys in May, but Commons accounts chiefs refused the entry, scribbling "personal item" on his claim form.

His claims, which come under his Additional Costs Allowance for a second home, were on top of food bills of more than £200 per month and £100 per month cleaning costs - sums he has also since paid back.

Compared to previous splurges, Dr Stoate's claims in the latest financial year were modest.

Between 2005 and 2008 his renovation receipts averaged £5,000 per year and included £4,500 on two replacement doors and four windows, and another £560 on a 32in high-definition television.

His overall second homes allowance in 2008/09, including mortgage and utility bills, was down more than £6,000 on the previous year's figure of £17,883.

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Dr Stoate, who is standing down as Dartford's MP at the next general election, has pledged to use none of the £24,222 second home allowance MPs are entitled to during this financial year.

His other expenses claims for 2008/09, including office and staffing costs, have not yet been published.

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