Synopsis: |
The complaint against Mrs Anne Main, the Member for St Albans, concerned costs associated with her use as a second home of a flat in St Albans: her main home was in Beaconsfield only 20 miles from her constituency boundary so she should not have claimed for a second home in St Albans; her adult daughter breached the rules by living rent-free in the second home; Mrs Main claimed a second home discount on the Council Tax she paid in respect of the St Albans property, although it was her daughter's main home; and, her claims for food were excessive. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards (whose report appears as an appendix) found that: Mrs Main was entitled to claim for a second home; that her daughter had not benefited though Mrs Main did derive emotional benefit as a parent from being able to see her daughter; and, Mrs Main breached the rules by claiming for the cost of meals taken while she was away from both her main home and her constituency home.The Committee recommends she repay GBP 2,100 in respect of sums wrongly claimed for food in the period 2005 to 2008, and an additional GBP 5,000, which is one seventh of the sums claimed by her against Additional Costs Allowance (minus food costs) in respect of the period when her adult daughter supported her by staying in her second home, reduced by GBP 1,500 to reflect the evidence that Mrs Main acted in accordance with advice she received from the Fees Office. |