How to check MPs’ claims

When I was employed, I had to submit a monthly expense claim and any anomaly would have to be OK d by the financial director.

When I was employed, I had to submit a monthly expense claim and any anomaly would have to be OK'd by the financial director.

MPs, in reality, are employees of their constituents, so their expenses should be monitored by them, ie ideally by a panel of independent accountants drawn from the constituency.

Second homes allowances should be abolished and a panel of experts, to include no more than one experienced and honest MP, should be set up to formulate an annual budget for each constituency that would take into account variants such as distance from Westminster and overnight hotel bills - all only refundable on production of receipts.

MPs who live some distance away or outside their constituency should pay their own travel costs to and from their constituency offices - as millions of others do to their place of work.

Finally, once budgets are formulated, they should only be increased by the annual inflation rate.

R Green

Riverdale Close

Seaton