Lord Sheldon nets ?130,000 in expenses from Lords
A former guardian of the public purse claimed six years? expenses for a house he gave away former chairman of a parliamentary financial watchdog has claimed more than ?130,000 in expenses from the House of Lords by designating as his ?main home? a house he gave to his son six years ago.
Lord Sheldon, who chaired the public accounts committee for 14 years, lives with his wife in London but said his main residence was his former family home in Manchester.
The semi-detached suburban property has been owned since 2003 by his son Terry, who lives there with his wife, Carol.
When a reporter telephoned the house several days ago, Carol said: ?It was his [Lord Sheldon?s] house, but his son and I live here . . . it?s ours, and he is welcome here every time. This is where he always stays, of course.?
However, Sheldon used the address to claim ?overnight subsistence? expenses until May this year, when he made London his main home because, he says, his wife was ill.
In May this year, The Sunday Times began reporting on peers who said their main homes were outside London, enabling them to claim accommodation allowances of up to ?30,000 a year. Since then, the police have begun investigating three peers: Baroness Uddin, Lord Clarke of Hampstead and Lord Hanningfield.
A police panel and the Crown Prosecution Service will also assess whether there should be formal inquiries into Lord Taylor of Warwick and Lord Bhatia, in response to our articles in the past fortnight.
The House of Lords is looking into complaints about the expenses claims of Lords Rennard, Taylor and Bhatia, although the inquiries into the latter two will be postponed if the police decide to investigate.
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers? Alliance, said Lord Sheldon?s expenses claims should be further investigated. ?It is clear that Lords expenses need reform and full transparency,? he said.
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