General Discussion
Stealing from the public purse has reached Devon
Mr Richard Younger-Ross no less has been found out and is going to pay back £4000 that he spent on luxury items that he did not think were luxury at the time he put in his claim for expenses.
If he doesn't know what is luxury and what is not,how can he tell the difference between a theft and something borrowed? Four mirrors costing £1,235. £1,120 on a hi-fi. A 3%00 bookcase. and £1,475 chest of drawers.
I thought it was within the rules----give over you clown and get off of the gravy train.
How many tickets did you put in for meals at the pleasant in warren road, did Mr protheroe do all right out of it? No more drinks on the house either.
I do hope Roy will challenge his seat next time around under the monster raving loony party banner.
Go for it Roy.
Viaduct, On the local news Richard Younger-Ross changed his mind and said he now realised they are luxury goods. What a plonker
Yes I heard that as well. And people vote these people into office - no wonder the country is in such a state?
When Tony Blaire said, "Education, Education, Education, he didn't mean it. You only need to look at the bloke that is standing as a lib dem for Devon County Council to represent Dawlish.
Somebody one day will help us.
All my bagging on about bent MP's and Councillors are finally being exposed. I do hope the likes of Roy and many others who have been knocking my comments, will now sit up and take notice.
Robbing a bank and then paying it all back is alright ....is it? Not in my book.
TWO South Devon MPs at the centre of expense claim revelations have insisted they will still stand at the next general election.
Totnes MP Anthony Steen (pictured above) says his political future now lies in the hands of his constituency colleagues after the Daily Telegraph newspaper claimed he designated his South Devon property as his second home and then claimed the maximum available under the Additional Costs Allowance.
Mr Steen is to meet with his local Tory constituency association this week and said he is in 'no doubt' the expenses furore will be discussed.
Teignbridge MP Richard Younger-Ross has apologised and now paid back £4,333.35 he claimed for seven items of luxury furniture at his rented London flat which included four mirrors, a hi-fi, a chest of drawers and a 'Don Juan' bookcase.
Mr Younger-Ross said the system, which allowed him to buy his furniture, should be abolished.
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"If you have made a mistake, even if you were within the rules, you have to say you made a mistake," he said.
"The Daily Telegraph have exposed some serious weaknesses in terms of second homes and some serious weaknesses in terms of payments for mortgages which have already been paid.
"They have exposed some of us for claiming things which are considered to be excessive and while you can say at the time there was nothing wrong with that, my real frustration is that this system should have been abolished years ago.
"I made an amendment to the bill last year which called for its abolition and called for parliament to provide furnished accommodation for those who need to stay in London and the speaker didn't even call that for debate. I will submit that to Christopher Kelly, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, and I would urge anyone who is reading this to think about what they think is fair and to write Mr Kelly and ask him to take this into account when reforming. We have to change the system."
Over in Totnes, Mr Steen is said to have claimed £87,729, including payments for tree surgery, leaking pipes and guarding his shrubs against rabbits.
The town's Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Julian Brazil, criticised the MP's expenses claims and asked: "Is he worth it?"
Mr Steen said he had been 'humbled' by the affair.
He said: "My future is very much in their hands — and then the hands of the electorate.
"No special meeting has been called but the association has a routine meeting on Friday which I voluntarily offered to attend two weeks ago.
"No doubt at that meeting we will be discussing a number of issues including the unfortunate picture of the claims procedures and the problems I have had with them.
"I was re-adopted to stand for election two years ago and I have no doubt the committee will wish to reconsider that position, but I hope they will wish me to continue. It is in their hands.
"I want to do what is best for the party, the association and the constituency.
"I can say that I have been humbled by the experience."
Figures revealed in The Daily Telegraph show Mr Steen claimed £20,902 in 2004/2005, £21,634 2005/2006, £22,110 in 2006/2007 and £23,083 in 2007/2008.
The claims were all made for his £1million constituency home which he bought in 2000 near Diptford.
He then designated it as his second home and claimed the maximum amount under the Additional Costs Allowance, which the system does allow.
Mr Steen rents a house in London.
The claims included payments for tree surgery and paying £459 to a woodland consultant to inspect new plantings at his South Hams home which has a swimming pool and a tennis court.
The consultant tagged shrubs and assessed whether there was a need for 'additional safeguarding' against rabbits.
Speaking to the Herald Express after the revelations, he said: "I regret the situation I have been placed in, I regret the officials weren't able to better distinguish which claims they should have rejected.
"I am apologetic I wasn't sensible enough to claim for my mortgage on this rather than maintaining the property, and it seems no longer can you maintain your property.
"It is not just one property which we have to have, it is two and the public shouldn't be resentful because I have paid for it myself.
"I am being hounded because I paid to have the maintenance of my property rather than the purchase of it, because if I had put down the mortgage, there wouldn't have been any questions."
Mr Brazil accused Mr Steen of taking the animated Wallace and Gromit film The Curse of the Were Rabbit 'literally' after he heard about the Tory MP's expenses.
Speaking from his East Prawle home Mr Brazil said: "He has taken it too literally. It was only a film.
"Seriously though, he has claimed the maximum amount every time. Why is he claiming the maximum amount? It looks like he sees what he can claim and claims right up to the limit, and I think that is disappointing and people are going to rightly ask if he is worth it."
He added: "What I would say is why does he need to wait for David Cameron's scrutiny committee to pay it back? Why can't he realise that what he has done isn't right and pay it back? I think it just compounds the mistake. He should apologise and pay the money back."
And on fellow Lib Dem, Mr Younger-Ross, he said: "I think politicians from all parties have been involved and the only thing I can say about Richard is that he has paid the money back and he realises what he has done.
"I don't think it makes it better, but a least he is prepared to understand the feeling.
"I am disappointed other MPs are waiting to pay it back. I think it shows how out of touch they are with local people. The anger people are feeling is tangible."
Torbay Lib Dem MP Adrian Sanders hasn't had any details of his expenses published by the Telegraph. He declined to comment.
Younger Ross will not release his expense details because it may expose his staff to scrutiny.Then has he or his staff some reason for this lack of transparent democracy?
Type2007/08 (ranking out of 645)
Additional Costs Allowance£22,228 (282nd)
London Supplement£0
Incidental Expenses Provision£29,819 (8th)
Staffing Allowance£78,978 (546th)
Communications Allowance£10,520 (94th)
Members' Travel£10,148 (217th)*
Members' Staff Travel£858 (joint 128th)
Members' Spouse Travel£2,386 (46th)
Members' Family Travel£0
Centrally Purchased Stationery£1,482 (101st)
Stationery: Associated Postage Costs£274 (635th)
Centrally Provided Computer Equipment£1,148 (joint 419th)
Other Costs£0
Total£157,841 (125th)
Not bad for a back bencher and of course a friend of Wally - the one that fell off his perch.
Not too much of a friend I would guess, as Wally would have told him how to fiddle without getting found out - is that right Wally?
I never thought that I would get such a quick response from the man himself and via the Herald Express - what is going wrong Wally, getting a guilty consience at last. Where there is theft, deciet and shear contempt for the community, as sure as eggs are eggs, Wally is there - and chairman to boot. How many more committees are you chairman of?
LIBERAL Democrats in Teignbridge are firmly behind their under-fire MP Richard Younger-Ross (pictured).
Following revelations Mr Younger-Ross accepted a £9,000 windfall to end his existing lease agreement on his London flat, chairman of the Teignbridge constituency party Wally Protheroe said they had shown their 'confidence' in him over the expenses issue.
However, he said he had not been aware Mr Younger-Ross had taken the money relating to his flat at Dolphin Square.
Mr Protheroe said the expenses issue was discussed at a regular executive meeting attended by Mr Younger-Ross.
On Friday, he admitted taking the £9,000 windfall from the Dolphin Square holding company, a bonus he said he used to make up the shortfall in the cost of running his constituency office. Today he confirmed he paid capital gains tax on the money.
He said: "It was paid in full in 2006. To my recollection it was around £800. It was the full amount and I had no other capital gains that year."
He said he would have had a personal allowance of £7,000 and would have paid around 40 per cent tax on the remaining £2,000.
Referring to Mr Younger- Ross's expenses, Mr Protheroe said: "It was Richard who brought the subject up and explained the situation. We have shown our confidence in him. The debate was very supportive and we know we have an extremely hard-working MP and we would like to him continue."
On the Dolphin Square issue, Mr Protheroe said: "I would not think that would change the situation."
Meanwhile Torbay MP Adrian Sanders yesterday said he was 'squeaky clean' in the MPs' expenses scandal.
The Lib Dem MP is confident of the outcome later this month when all Parliamentary receipts are published and he has offered to allow a Herald Express journalist the opportunity to review originals of receipts for accommodation and living expenses.
He said: "I am squeaky clean and that is the bottom line, but there is always someone who will take exception because they don't like the situation and they are right to take the exception."
He said the Parliamentary fees office gave him access to the edited information which will be published, along with all other MPs' expenses, later this month.
He was in the clear when the Daily Telegraph revealed he had been offered, but declined a £12,000 windfall to give up rights on his rented flat in Dolphin Square.
He said today there is no end-of-lease benefit to him when he leaves Parliament and relinquishes his flat in Dolphin Square.
"It was a one-off deal in 2006 and I have stayed on a lease option until 2035. There was also an offer of £5,000 to buy out inheritance rights, but I did not take that either. It is one month's notice and that is it."
And today, Totnes Conservatives announced they will use an open primary selection process to chose their candidate for the constituency.
The Conservative Association is encouraging any local residents wishing to be considered as the new candidate, following veteran MP Anthony Steen's announcement he is to step down at the next election after revelations he claimed more than £80,000 for work at his Totnes home, to contact its chairman Heather Burwin.
She said the decision to hold an open primary selection process was a way of recognising the importance of selecting the right candidate to contest the next election on the 'key issues affecting the constituency', as well as involving as many people as possible in the process.
She said: "Recent events have brought the constituency much unwanted adverse publicity. Totnes will be the first constituency to select a candidate after the recent resignations and is pleased to be able to lead the way by opening up the selection procedure."
The deadline for applications is Monday, June 8.
It may come as some surprise for the local Liberal Democrats to back our M.P.Younger Ross but what surely be the test is whether the constituents are so understanding.
Younger-Ross claims he has an architechs background, yet he claims he did not realize that the goods he bought to furnish his pad - were luxury goods. Sorry officer - I didn,t think I stole anything is more like what he is trying to say.
When reading the article of Younger Ross baring his soul at the meeting with fellow liberals it seems talk was made of the lease for a flat in London.But to help those suffering convenient amnesia was not 4 mirrors,a chest of drawers and hi-fi system involved.
Sorry B.O.Liking but I dont understand the point you are making, maybe I am having a Saturday moment
What was it then?
And here is a little more reading for the faint hearted.
MP's self-referral to watchdog 'not received'
Saturday, June 06, 2009, 07:00
THE Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards office confirmed yesterday it had not received Teignbridge MP Richard Younger-Ross's self-referral to the body over his acceptance of £9,000.
The Lib Dem politician told the Herald Express he had referred himself to the commissioner last Friday, after it was revealed he had accepted the £9,000 windfall to give up his right to cheap rent in a London block of flats.
Today he insisted he had self referred to the body but yesterday, a spokeswoman from the commissioner's office, said: "Having looked into the matter, I have checked and I can confirm that to date, the commissioner has not received a self-referral from Mr Younger-Ross."
However the Teignbridge MP said: "It was posted a week ago and any implication otherwise will be met with a writ.
"If the Commissioner of Standards cannot find it that is their problem. I will speak to them on Monday and make sure they have a copy of what I've sent."
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Now constituents have come forward to say they will report him to the commissioner.
Former Teignmouth mayor Geoff Bladon, who has already called on Mr Younger-Ross to resign, today added: "The sooner we get a general election the better."
Former lawyer Stuart Reynolds, from Horse Lane, Shaldon, has also called on Mr Younger-Ross to resign.
He said: "I am very angry about this, everyone I speak to is very angry about this. Mr Younger-Ross has hunkered down, perhaps hoping that the expenses row will go away.
"He should meet his critics face to face. I will take it upon myself to hire a suitable venue so that the public can have their say."
Last week, the Daily Telegraph revealed Mr Younger-Ross was one of 13 MPs who took windfalls worth thousands of pounds to give up their right to cheap rents at flats at Dolphin Square, Westminster.
The flats, which were originally owned by Westminster council, were bought by a private US company, Westbrook Associates, in 2006 and tenants were offered a lump sum to move out or pay a higher rent.
The sums of money were dependant on length of lease and apartment size.
It also offered £5,000 to give up the right to pass the tenancy on to family.
Mr Younger-Ross kept his Dolphin Square flat as his second home, kept the lump sum and charged the increased rent to taxpayers.
He was not offered the £5,000.
Mr Younger-Ross moved into the flat in 1997. The lease changed in 2001 and a new rental agreement was set-up in 2006.
He declined to say how much rent he had been paying before 2006, but said he had paid £19,000 over the last year.
"I am certainly paying what is described as market rent. I was given a guarantee that the rent would not be excessive. In my view it has been excessive. This is why I nearly moved out last April.
"I am still at the flat but I am looking for alternative accommodation. I am looking for something cheaper and smaller, like a bedsit. "However, there is very little point moving flat just before a general election so I will probably stay until next year," he said.
Mr Younger-Ross said he had secured a 'below inflation' rent increase of less than three per cent from the landlords for the next 12 months.
He claims he spent the £9,000 on his constituency office on top of his Incidental Expenses Provision, which covers the running costs of constituency offices.
The IEP totalled £29,819 in the year 2007-2008, ranking his office the eighth most expensive constituency office in the country.
He said: "The money was spent on the office including things like photocopying. Since 2001, I have spent £15,000 in excess. "Despite the additional provision, we were £1,400 in excess last year."
Mr Younger-Ross said Teignbridge was the fourth largest constituency by elector and at 660 sq miles it was geographically one of the largest in the country. He also said he ran nine surgeries a month, a figure he says is several more than his colleagues.
Mr Younger-Ross said details of how the £9,000 was spent would not be published and it would not appear in any Freedom of Information request because it was paid directly to him.
Mr Younger-Ross has already paid back more than £4,000 of expenses for luxury items, including mirrors and a hi-fi, bought for his second home.
Dear User 4549 what I could not understand where did the funishings end which we all knew about and the lease on the flat begin.
Sorry did not make myself clearer.
LOL... YOUNGER ROSS IS AT FAULT (DID NOT CALL HIM A THEIF)... BUT YOU ALL KICK OFF BECAUSE THE MEDIA TOLD YOU! YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS IS HOW CAPITALISM WORKS!!! I AM A SERVANT OF HER MAJESTY, YET I AM NOT RICH! MP'S HAVE DONE THIS FOR YEARS...ONLY BECAME BIG NEWS WHEN MEDIA HAD NOTHING ELSE... IRAQ? AFGHANISTAN? CREDIT CRUNCH? FILL THE VOID... OH YEAH, SWINE FLU WILL KILL US ALL... MONEY MONEY MONEY. STOP READING PAPERS (DAWLISH POST HAS SEVERE TYPO'S) STOP WATCHING TV NEWS... STOP LISTENING TO LOCAL GOSSIP... THE ONLY TRUTH IS INSIDE YOUR HEAD (WHETHER WE AGREE OR NOT)