The Sunday Express has a story about the expenses claims of Cllr Richard Kemp, a Lib Dem councillor in Liverpool and the leader of the Lib Dem group on the Local Government Association.
He has a second home in Brixton, south London, and has been paid an overnight allowance from the LGA for trips to London.
The report states:
LGA rules state that such “exceptional” allowances can only be paid after negotiating reduced rates at approved hotels.
They also state that the LGA “does not contribute to the cost of second homes for councillors,” but Mr Kemp has been granted a special deal that allows him to circumvent that policy.
A spokesman says the cost to the Council Taxpayer of this arrangement represents "value for money".
But the report adds:
We then asked how much he had claimed, and whether the claims related to his stays at his own flat, but he failed to answer.
If the these meetings Cllr Kemp has been attending in London are "value for money" then why can we not be told how much they are costing us and what meetings they are?
MPs now have to publish their expenses. It is called transparency. Come on, Cllr Kemp. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.