Wednesday 1 June 2011

James Arbuthnot Conservative MP for North East Hampshire

Total repayment recommended: £13,470.33

Total repayments received since April 1 2009: £13,470.33

Balance recommended to be repaid: £0.00

MPs' expenses: Senior Tory James Arbuthnot charged taxpayer for pool cleaning

James Arbuthnot MP claimed from the public finances for cleaning his swimming pool at a country residence.

James Arbuthnot: MPs' expenses
The claims by James Arbuthnot were among a series of payments made to maintain a home in Hampshire that he rented before buying a £2 million home without a mortgage two years ago.
Last night, the chairman of the defence select committee said that claiming for the swimming pool maintenance was an error of judgment and that he would return the money.
He was unable to calculate the sum he would repay the fees office. One handwritten invoice for a three-month period, for “grass, strim, pool, fuel” came to £776. Another bill for two months came to £594. The bill for the whole of the 2006-07 financial year for these services was £1,471.
In a letter to the fees office, Mr Arbuthnot acknowledged that his new house was unusually costly to run. He was “well aware” that he quickly spent the additional costs allowance, he wrote, but that was because “[his home] is an expensive house to run”. In June 2007, it took four hours to mow the “main lawn and swimming pool lawn” at a cost of £44.
Email exchanges between the MP and the fees office at this time illustrate the laxity of the fees office in enforcing the rules. Mr Arbuthnot rented a house in a village in Hampshire.
He later bought his new home in Stratfield Mortimer, also in Hampshire, in May 2007 for £2 million but did not move out of his rented accommodation “until at least the end of May, more likely the end of June”, according to one email sent in October 2007. This meant there was “a period in which I had two second homes”.
The MP therefore submitted claims for both properties on the grounds that “it could be analogous to staying at different hotels on different nights”.
“No problems with this at all,” a senior House of Commons official emailed back. “I have urged staff to be flexible in their interpretation of the rules in circumstance such as yours.”
During the same period from May to October 2007, Mr Arbuthnot submitted a separate claim of £2,433 “for the expense of our housekeeper”. It is not clear which property the housekeeper was based at.
He also claimed for various sums for furnishing the new house, including £728 for a new television and £100 for a sign at the new home. Servicing cost for his Aga oven cost £341, the records disclose.
In March last year, he claimed £2,749 for work on trees.
The house cost £1,157 to insure last year.
In total, Mr Arbuthnot has claimed £108,062 over the past five years — the maximum amount possible. When the fees office deducted some of his payments during the 2005 general election, Mr Arbuthnot queried their calculations, writing: “In practice, I will easily exceed the ACA limit of £20,000-odd, but I should be grateful to have this cleared up.”
At the rented property, Mr Arbuthnot submitted a claim for £800 for decorating and £2,340 for five softwood
windows.
He said this upkeep was part of his lease.
James Arbuthnot is the second son of a baronet, but is likely to inherit the title currently held by his older brother.
Like his party leader, David Cameron, he attended Eton.
Although Mr Arbuthnot claims his Hampshire home is his “second home”, according to the Conservative party website, he and his wife Emma “live in [Stratfield] Mortimer with several dogs, a couple of Alpaca and an elderly pony”.
Mr Arbuthnot said that the swimming pool maintenance costs would be returned to the fees office. “The claims were an error of judgment on my part.
I am sorry I made them and will repay them in full,” he said.
He added that the work on the trees was carried out because of an insurance issue when the trees became unsafe.

Expenses

Figures in brackets are ranks.Data from parliament.uk (source). Read 2004/05 – 2008/09 and 1st quarter 2009/10 receipts.

Type2008/09 (ranking out of 647)2007/08 (ranking out of 645)2006/07 (ranking out of 645)2005/062004/05 (ranking out of 659)2003/04 (ranking out of 658)2002/03 (ranking out of 657)2001/02 (ranking out of 657)
Staying away from main home£24,006 (joint 1st with 48 others) £23,083 (joint 1st with 142 others) £22,110 (joint 1st with 183 others) £21,634 £20,902 (joint 1st with 187 others) £20,318 (188th) £19,722 (joint 1st with 230 others) £15,809 (joint 210th with 3 others)
London costs£0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £1,101 (joint 110th with 1 other)
Office running costs£12,315 (526th) £17,170 (386th) £24,808 (99th) £19,935 £19,096 (215th) £18,799 (joint 13th with 178 others) £17,677 (425th) £9,062 (547th)
Staffing costs£92,471 (394th) £84,145 (437th) £83,291 (360th) £79,913 £72,298 (240th) £68,025 (227th) £53,140 (601st) £52,343 (116th)
Communications Allowance£9,057 (joint 303rd with 1 other) £12,792 (45th) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Members' Travel£3,817 (511th)1 £4,534 (493rd)2 £4,230 (504th)3 £3,854 £6,701 (473rd) £5,057 (519th) £5,220 (518th) £4,823 (479th)
Members' Staff Travel£14 (joint 415th with 1 other) £73 (joint 390th with 2 others) £51 (joint 410th with 1 other) £0 £0 £0 £18 (joint 461st with 1 other) £0
Members' Spouse Travel£492 (joint 199th with 1 other) £327 (joint 255th with 1 other) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Members' Family Travel£244 (49th) £232 (joint 61st with 1 other) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Centrally Purchased Stationery£1,799 (joint 541st with 1 other) £568 (450th) £473 (541st) £599 £433 (542nd) £378 (570th) £672 (joint 481st with 1 other) £739 (434th)
Stationery: Associated Postage Costs£1,838 (403rd) £2,362 (359th) £2,145 £1,308 (528th) £694 (joint 606th with 2 others) N/A N/A
Centrally Provided Computer Equipment £1,430 (48th) £1,352 (27th) £292 £1,859 (joint 386th with 1 other) £1,567 (539th) £1,567 (512th) £1,567 (434th)
Other Costs£1,829 (68th) £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Total£146,043 (374th) £146,192 (333rd) £138,677 (307th) £128,372 £122,597 (348th) £114,838 (423rd) £98,016 (562nd) £85,444 (394th)
1 Regular journeys between home/constituency/Westminster: Mileage £2,560 (312th). Rail £1,113 (445th). Misc £144 (147th).
2 Regular journeys between home/constituency/Westminster: Mileage £2,958 (297th). Rail £1,156 (413th). Misc £165 (133rd). Other: Rail £255 (74th).
3 Car £2,709 (345th). Rail £499 (477th). Other £197 (48th). European £825 (52nd).