LAUNDRY bills, mortgage repayments, and upholstery repairs were all charged to the taxpayer by Bromley borough’s MPs, according to new expense receipts.
The latest MP expenses have been released today (November 10) for the 2008/09 financial year and show Bromley and Chislehurst MP Bob Neill claimed back £18,490 in predominantly mortgage repayments and council tax for his second home.
In April this year, Mr Neill was pulled up by parliament officials for claiming £250 to much on his council tax and ordered to repay the outstanding balance.
Mr Neill says he made a decision in October to stop claiming for the mortgage on his second home.
Talking about his “error” in over-claiming on council tax, he explained: “I take full responsibility for it and I was quite happy to pay it back.
“On the whole I don’t think it was the most terrible of mistakes.
“I am in favour of these receipts being published online.
“The system is going to change anyway.”
Beckenham MP Jacqui Lait asked for a total of £13,702 to be reimbursed to her over the year.
She claimed for mortgage, council tax, food and cleaning expenditures, and was also repaid the cost of having her boiler serviced.
In February this year, she spent and then claimed back £3,800 on home improvements and included a £9 receipt for a paintbrush.
In July 2008, Ms Lait claimed £343 for the month’s food bills and the following March she wanted back the £139 she had spent on a TV licence.
The borough’s third MP, Orpington’s John Horam, claimed £7,072 for mainly mortgage repayments and council tax but also requested to be reimbursed £138 for a footstool to be reupholsted and his TV license.
All three MPs claim to have second homes in Bromley borough.
However, Jacqui Lait included dozens of receipts in her expense claims from a dry-cleaners in Rye, East Sussex, where she lives with her husband and leader of East Sussex County Council, Peter Jones.
The year’s laundry bills - totalling more than £450 - are each signed by ‘Jones’ and list pillow cases, table clothes and sheets from her Bromley home.
A note at the bottom of one expense claim, presumably from a puzzled parliamentary official, reads: “Spoken to Jacqui Lait, she has confirmed that laundry receipts are for items in her second home despite a different address appearing on the receipts.”
Ms Lait and Mr Horam were unavailable for comment this afternoon.
Both MPs are due to stand down at the next general election.
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