Paul Flynn MP attacks BBC's Panorama - "Panorama gave a wholly false impression of the housing allowances"

http://paulflynnmp.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/05/whore-of-parliaments.html

Having agreed to take part, I had second thoughts at the interview

Panorama gave a wholly false impression of the housing allowances. it purported to show a flat a new MP could buy or rent. That would be impossible on parliamentary allowances. The block of flats is named St George's Wharf. The one showed is priced at nearly £1.8 million. I live about half a mile away- without an expensive river view. The allowances would not stretch to flat much beyond £125,000 for mortgage interest, council tax and utilities payments for a new MP.It would need a helpful bank plus a hefty personal deposit. The mortgage payments, of course, have to paid by the MP. The only way an MP could buy the flat shown would be is she had a £1 million in cash to spend. Pictures of a cramped £125,000 flat located over the Tapas bar in Vauxhall is the reality. That would not have provided good riverside pictures.
Harriet Harman and Peter Hain came over well as clear sighted reformers. Peter had a chance to say that he was exonerated from the headlined accusations. Oh for a Panorama full treatment of those who have been unfairly accused.
Probably too much emphasis was put on the sixth month 'salary' that follows retirement or election loss. It's not a redundancy payment. There is a serious job to do to pass over cases to the next MP and to run down the office. Possibly it should be subjected to rigid auditing and not provided automatically.
Much more important is the level of pensions that need examining. While MPs have to contribute usually 12% of total income to their pensions, they are still linked to final salary. Other pensions are falling in values. BBC and MPs pensions improve. That must stop. The pension is for life not for six months.






Posted on May 25, 2009 at 11:09 PM Permalink