news story

13th October 2009

Independent Inquiry Gives Local MP All Clear Over Expenses

An in-depth investigation into the expenses claims of all Members of Parliament has given local MP Steve Webb a clean bill of health.

The independent inquiry, headed by Sir Thomas Legg, was set up earlier in the year to look into allegations that MPs had misused their expenses for private gain and had claimed more money than they were entitled to.

The investigation looked at all expenses claims by MPs over the five years from 2004/05 to see whether they were in order. Sir Thomas Legg also imposed his own limits on what he thought were reasonable claims for the costs of keeping a second home.

On Monday, he wrote to Northavon MP Steve Webb saying that he had investigated all of the Lib Dem MP's claims and had not found anything of concern.

Commenting, Steve Webb said:

"I am pleased that Sir Thomas Legg's independent inquiry has confirmed that wherever I have needed to claim expenses this has been done in an entirely proper way. In my view, expenses are needed simply to enable an MP to stay away from his or her family home to work at Westminster for part of the week, but should not be about lavish living or profiting from the taxpayer's money. We now need a new system which is completely open and where taxpayers can see that they are getting value for money".