ST ALBANS MP Anne Main released copies of her expenses claims to the Review yesterday, revealing that she has claimed about £4,000 on furnishings for her second home.

Mrs Main, whose main home is just 24 miles away in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, has claimed on a second home, which she has shared with her daughter in central St Albans since she won the seat for the Conservatives in May 2005.

She claimed £925 per month rent as parliamentary expenses until November 2006, when she bought the flat for £249,000 – claiming about £5,000 for professional fees.

Mrs Main has subsequently claimed mortgage interest of between £600 and £1,100 a month.

In accordance with rules exempting MPs from providing receipts for food, she has claimed round sums of between £250 and £300 a month.

The Review has not yet been able to ask Mrs Main whether these include food for her daughter, or on what basis it is a genuine expense of maintaining a second home. When she furnished her flat in 2005, she claimed £81.45 for Homebase curtain poles, £47.92 for tiles from B&Q and £34.50 for kitchenware and towels from Matalan in St Albans.

Labour parliamentary candidate Roma Mills said: “I can fully understand that MPs need to be able to get into London if they live a long way away from their constituencies, so they need somewhere to stay. But I am not sure that if you live in Buckinghamshire you need a second home in St Albans.

“A lot of MPs feel they should live in their constituency. It seems a bit odd for her to have her main home in Buckinghamshire – it should be in St Albans. She actually lives near enough to remain a presence in her constituency, for example attending meetings. It just does not stack up.”

Most MPs’ second homes are in central London, claimed on the basis that members often have to work late in the House of Commons.

Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for St Albans Sandy Walkington said: “Is there any need for Mrs Main to own a home in her constituency?

“Other people if they get a new job move to where their employment is.

“Taxpayers should not be paying for a second home – not for an MP in St Albans.”

The claims will be officially published online on July 1, but Mrs Main has provided the Review with copies of her forms for 2005/6, 2006/7 and 2007/8, saying she has nothing to hide and it is right that her constituents should know how she spends their money.

The issue of MPs’ expenses has dominated the national headlines, with members of all parties forced to explain why taxpayers should pay for such curiosities as moats and tennis courts.

Labour’s Elliott Morley, who chairs a climate change committee on which Mrs Main sits, has had the party whip suspended after it was revealed he had claimed thousands in interest months after the mortgage on his second home had been paid off.

Mrs Main said: “I believe it is necessary to have a home in St Albans as it means that, in addition to my work during the week, I am able to attend meetings and events at any time and am able to truly support the community. Having set up my St Albans home in a functional and, I believe, modest way, I have purposely chosen not to employ cleaners, painters, or decorators, even though work has been done. I have been 100 per cent committed to supporting numerous functions and issues in St Albans, which is why I am regularly working for my constituents seven days a week.”

The Review also requested Harpenden MP Peter Lilley’s expenses but as we went to press he had not returned our calls.

  • Mrs Main claimed in total £64,566 in “additional costs allowance” as the expense of running a second home between May 2005 and April 2008
  • 2005/06: £20,365
  • 2006/07: £22,110
  • 2707/08: £22,091
  • The total cost of running her office and paying her expenses for 2007/8 was £146,769, the 324th highest of any MP.
  • Her 2007/8 staff cost of £87,133 was the 342nd highest of any MP
  • In the last year she has spoken in 56 debates – well above average
  • She has voted in 66 per cent of divisions – below average