Cllr Iain Lindley's Diary

Like most local residents, I continue to read with increasing disgust the more lurid details of MPs expenses as published over the last day or two. Doubtless there are more revelations to come, involving MPs from all parties.

On a local front, Stephen Kingston wrote an interesting article on the Salford Star website about the expenses of Hazel Blears in some depth. I won’t link to it as the language is somewhat family-unfriendly but I agree with much of the sentiment. Unsurprisingly given their lower profile, we have yet to see anything concerning Barbara Keeley or Ian Stewart.

We’ve heard a lot about claims that were “within the rules” and “approved by the fees office”. This simply isn’t good enough. Our MPs wrote their own rules, and in any case the expenses restrictions are a limit, not a target! Even if no rules were broken, some of these claims are simply immoral.

Things need to change, and fast. Our Members of Parliament must be beyond reproach. As a prospective MP, I have already promised not to spend Labour’s £10000 per annum propaganda allowance if elected. There will be no cooking the books on my part, and rather than fighting to the very last to prevent publication of expenses (as many MPs have done) I will be open and frank, publishing my expenses promptly and in their entirety.

There is another side to this though – one that goes far deeper than party politics or policy differences, to the very core of why we choose to enter politics.

I’ve always wanted to put something back into my community. I have lived in Walkden since I was 8 years old and my family’s roots in Walkden and Boothstown in particular go back many many decades prior to that. I represent my local ward on the City Council and I stand now as the Prospective Conservative MP for my local constituency.

My Labour opponent put her name forward for several safe Labour seats, many miles away from here, before alighting as the Labour candidate and now MP for Worsley. For her, Worsley could have been anywhere.

For me, Worsley and Eccles South is not a stepping-stone or a means to an end. It is my home, and when my name goes forward onto the ballot paper it will be my friends and neighbours who decide whether I win or lose. I can only promise never to forget that this is my home, and if I am lucky enough to represent this area in Parliament, it will be the first thing I remember for every decision that I make – including when someone presents me with an expenses form.