Per The Scotsman:
Tolson had paid a total of £21,000 in rent to the local Lib Dems who paid just £7,050 to lease the property in the Fife town.
Rennie denies channelling funds to his local party and insists that the sums he and Tolson pay are justified as they include bills for telephone and electricity costs which, he says, make up the difference between the two amounts.
Following the initial claims about his expenses, Rennie's main rival for the seat, Labour's Thomas Docherty wrote to the Westminster standards commissioner calling for a full investigation.
Lyon has now agreed to consider whether or not Rennie used his expenses to help meet the cost of party political activities, having judged that the complaint does fall within his remit.
Oh dear, it doesn't look too good for Mr Rennie or the local Lib Dems. Setting your own market rates when you're renting from your own party is something that's going to have to change as it does look like the rental price has been punted skywards to boost party coffers.
I'm not so sure about Thomas Docherty being the "main rival" for the seat. I'm personally thinking I'm looking good for my bet of an SNP win here at what I think was 7-1. The odds are probably shorter now though...
Boris and Ken - The Crime File
30 seconds ago
6 comments:
Haven't Ian Gray and Anne Moffat got the same arrangement with their shared constituency office, both claim for the same premises which is owned by the Labour Party....
MSP Ian Gray claimed £7,821 in Holyrood expenses during 2007/08 for the rent of the office at constituency party headquarters in High Street.
MP Ms Moffat, who claimed a total of £148,072 in expenses from Westminster in 2007/08, paid the local party £8,000 in annual rent for a second office within the same building which is owned by the Labour Party.
Might explain why Jim Tolson was the only person to actually officialy exceed the expenses limit at the 2007 elections - by a few pennies which is presumably why nothing much happened as a result.
That is exceeding by declared pennies - look on the party expenditure to see that there was some expenditure thrown there in the hope no-one tied it up.
Lib Dem-ery at its best.
This is complete nonsense. Thomas Docherty has totally misunderstood what's happening.
There is no question of the Lib Dems making a profit on that office.
The papers are basing their stories on Thomas Docherty's letter and not on the facts of the case which will show that everything is completely above board.
Wardog. "Market rates" are being charged to Gray and Moffat by the Labour Party say G and M, and I believe them totally.
Mind you I also believe Moffat's story that she was attacked in broad daylight in Cockenzie on a Friday afternoon by a bunch of hoodies (one wearing a Celtic top)who attacked her,stole money and a ring off her finger, but graciously did not take her mobile phone, from which she did not dial 999 after the incident, but phoned a friend.
Am I too trusting?
Thanks for clearing that up Caron, you know, with no detail on the issue whatsoever. There patently is a question over profits being made if it's in the Sunday papers. And the full details were in the Sunday Herald a few weeks ago. Yes politicians of all parties seemed to be doing it but Willie Rennie had some stand out figures against his name.
Post a Comment