MORE revelations about what our MPs have claimed have been published - and it includes £380 for decking and a £100 mattress cover.
Middleton and Heywood MP Jim Dobbin made the claims as well as charging £474 for a bed, but denied the claims were extortionate.
He said: "This is not on the scale of a duck pond or a moat.
"MP’s who serve constituents outside London have to live in the capital. The guidelines says all that I have claimed comes well within the scope of what is allowed.
"It is all very reasonable and essentially nothing of what I have claimed is extortionate."
The latest figures revealed by the Daily Telegraph show Mr Dobbin charged taxpayers £380.42 to install decking outside his London flat five years ago.
They also show he spent £474 on a bed in 2007, and £100 on a mattress cover a year later.
He defended the claims, arguing the cost of the bed was very reasonable while the mattress cover helped him sleep as he recovered from a knee operation.
He added the decking was installed to the front of his London flat to replace dangerous and damaged steps, and to help disabled relatives visit him when he stayed in London.
Mr Dobbin said: "If you look at the levels I have claimed they are exceptionally low. I am number 505 out of a total of 647 in terms of how much each MP has claimed."
The latest revelations from the Daily Telegraph also show that Blackley MP Graham Stringer claims up to £4,800 a year on food.
He defended the figure, saying while it appeared large, it worked out at around £25 a day.
He said: "It sounds a lot on the surface, but I’m in London roughly 200 days a year, so it works out at between £20 to £25 a day.
"I don't have a flat in London, so I have to eat out for breakfast, lunch and dinner, either in restaurants or the Houses of Commons.
"Overall my claims across the board are within the bottom 20 to 25 per cent. It varies from year to year, but when taken together, I am always nearer to the bottom."
He also refuted claiming £1.75 for a tube of Pringles, saying although it was on a hotel bill he put in, the food was not claimed for as part of it.
Showing comments 1 to 5 and replies | View All
Simishine, Manchester (11/06/2009 at 17:01)
James Allan Whitehead (14/06/2009 at 10:49)
Jim is an honest guy, and trustworthy. Lets stop this hue and cry about expenses. Lets tell any elected member, enough is enough change the rules. Lets not forget that all Parties MPs have the same criticism. At least their earnings and expenses are able to be scrutinised by the public.
Lets get the rules right.
Oh by the way I do not vote for him.
Rocking Vic, Middleton (15/06/2009 at 14:41)
£474 isn't very much for a bed. You would pay that for a lower end of the range bed. If I was Jim's age you would be looking at spending £1000 upward so I think people should stop griping about it, he hasn't done anything wrong.
Bob Spencer (27/07/2009 at 10:42)
This bloke goes out and spends £100 on a mattress cover which he says helped him to sleep better.
What a character!
Shufti, Middleton (29/07/2009 at 17:40)
Can anyone tell me of any company or organisation where they provide the cost of accomodation and also pay for subsistence over and above that?