Scots MPs funnelling public cash to parties

SCOTS MPs are channelling hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to their local parties with payments for rent, utility bills and other "services", expenses claims have revealed.

Scotland on Sunday has uncovered several cases where MPs have set up shop in their local constituency offices and then paid their own parties courtesy of the public purse.

In one case, a Liberal Democrat MP arranged for his local party to become his landlord, after which the rent was increased to sky-high prices. He claimed last night that the £14,000 a year he paid to his party was not subsidising it.

In another case, an SNP MP has paid two branches in his constituency over £50,000 in the past four years in rent, rates, printing costs and even the hire of a caravan.

Meanwhile, a Labour MP who had a constituency office opened another one run by his local party, and has since paid it more than £13,000 in rent.

None of the MPs has broken any rules and all claim they are paying fair market rates.

But critics last night said clearer lines needed to be drawn to ensure taxpayers' money was not being used to fund political parties.

In the most striking case, the Lib Dems in Dunfermline earn £21,000 a year by renting out a property to local MP Willie Rennie and MSP Jim Tolson.

Electoral Commission records show that in 2008 the Lib Dems paid just £7,050 to lease the property. Expense receipts released last week show Rennie pays £14,000 of the total, substantially more than the £6,600 he paid a private landlord before the Lib Dems took it over, although Rennie now has more office space.

He said last night the rent charged by his party included electricity and phone bills.

He continued: "I can assure you that the costs for the office reflect the actual costs for renting the office. We are not subsidising the local Lib Dems."

Asked why the local party had billed him an extra £2,000 for phone bills and electricity in 2008 when such costs were supposed to be included in his rent, he said: "When we did the estimates for what it was going to cost for the office we took a stab at it and we underestimated it. Electricity charges shot up, so we paid extra over and above our fees in order to cover the cost."

In another case, SNP MP Pete Wishart's expenses show he has paid £50,541 to the Perth and Blairgowrie branches of the SNP since 2004. Wishart rented an office from both branches, enabling each to charge the taxpayer for his occupancy.

Expense receipts show that North Tayside branch has earned more than £1,000 for printing Wishart's Westminster Matters newsletter. It also picked up £1,000 for hiring a caravan so he could carry out "mobile surgeries".

The North Tayside office in Blairgowrie also receives rent from the SNP MSP John Swinney. Wishart said that the rent he paid to his party offices had been independently assessed as the correct market rate.

The expense receipts also show that SNP colleague Angus Robertson has channelled a similar amount to his local party in Moray, by renting its office. Along with SNP MSP Richard Lochhead, the pair have paid £47,679 to the branch in rent, photocopying and utility bills since 2004. The sums nearly exceed the £50,000 cost of the building, bought by the SNP Moray branch in 2002.

Meanwhile, MP Michael Connarty has paid £13,121 to Labour's Linlithgow branch by renting out an office it leases in Bathgate. Connarty also has an office in Grangemouth, just eight miles away. He said last night: "I have a huge constituency and people in West Lothian won't take too kindly to being told that they have to go and see someone in Grangemouth."

It is estimated Labour's property company, Labour Party Properties, is being paid £50,000 in rent from MPs in Scotland. Party officials insist the arrangement is non-profit-making.

Members and their offices

WILLIE RENNIE
Liberal Democrat MP for Dunfermline and Fife West

High Street, Dunfermline

Pays: £12,000 a year to his local party, supplemented by an extra £2,000 for utilities.

Background: Lib Dems pay just £7,050 for the property lease from another company. Rennie says the £12,000 he pays to the Lib Dems includes charges for electricity and phone costs. But receipts show he paid an extra £2,000 to the Lib Dems last year to supplement utility costs.

PETE WISHART
SNP MP for Perth and Perthshire North

York Place, Perth, and Perth Street, Blairgowrie

Pays: £3,000 a year to SNP in Tayside and £6,500 a year to SNP in Perth – plus costs

Background: Perth office rent valued at £450 a month in 2005. Wishart now paying £540 a month. In total, the two branches have received more than £50,000 in costs on rent, rates, utilities, printing, lawyers' fees, joinery and use of caravans. Wishart says he needs two offices because his constituency is so big.

MICHAEL CONNARTY
Labour MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk

Hopetoun Street, Bathgate

Pays: Average of £5,600 a year for a share of Linlithgow constituency Labour party office in Bathgate

Background: Connarty moves into the office in 2005. He already rents an office from the council in Grangemouth, only eight miles away. But Connarty says he needs another office because his constituency is so large. The local party does not make a profit on the deal.

ANGUS ROBERTSON
SNP MP for Moray

Wards Road, Elgin

Pays: £5,000 a year to local constituency party. The local MSP, Richard Lochhead, pays a further £4,000.

Background: The local SNP bought the office for £50,000 in 2002. The MP and MSPs' rents have been independently assessed at a fair market rate. But the £47,000 both have paid to the local party for the office since 2005 includes hundreds of pounds of other costs, including a regular quarterly bill of £420 for photocopier hire.

DES BROWNE
Labour MP for Kilmarnock

Pays: £5,000 a year to Labour party properties. Former MSP Margaret Jamieson paid the same sum until she was deposed in 2007.

Background: Labour party properties bought the derelict property for £32,500. It was refurbished for the use of local politicians. Browne's current rent is below the independent valuation of around £8,000 a year.