MPs could live in flats

LETTER - So it rumbles on, and in order to allay the fears of the public, Mr Brown magnanimously announces that the home expenses for MPs are to be cut.

At the moment, MPs can claim £22,000-plus to furnish their so-called second home which is needed when they are required to attend Parliament.

This is on top of the various other allowances, not too bad a salary and gold-plated pension when they leave. Many MPs have simply used the money to top up their mortgage on the second property.

It is wide open to abuse and it is abused and not just by MPs from one party. With more than 600 MPs, this is a ready made perk for those with their snouts in the trough.

Just multiply those figures to come up with a gigantic total that we, Joe Public, have to pay.

Not only that, but when an MP decides to buy a property on mortgage to attend Parliament they do not have to pay capital gains tax on any profit made when they sell it.

Why cannot MPs live in accommodation provided for them in the form of basic apartments, furnished apart from personal items and within reach of Parliament.

Costly, maybe to start with, but consider that an MP has three months of the year off. During this time the apartments could be leased to businessmen looking for short-term accommodation. And with the Olympics coming up they could be worth a fortune.

J Spencer, Bridgnorth