The Guardian has launched a new crowd-sourced experiment: ‘Investigate your MP’s expenses’. More to follow from Journalism.co.uk soon.
Extracts from the Guardian press release:
“The Guardian has today launched a major experiment in crowdsourcing following the publication of thousands of MPs’ receipts by the House of Commons.
“The Guardian has uploaded all of these documents to its own microsite, Investigate your MP’s expenses, allowing members of the public to interact with and analyse the data; an impossibility on the government’s website.
“For every document for every MP, users of the site will be able to: add narrative on individual expenses; highlight documents of interest; tell us how interesting that receipt is and provide a context for each receipt; help us by entering the relevant expenses figures and dates on each page.”
Alleged areas of abuse or fraud :- Claims for the cost of mortgages repaid .Costs of maintaining two residences, one in the constituency and one in London. Nominating second homes: Re-designating second homes:furnishing more than one property. (This practice became widely-known as “flipping”). Renting out homes. Subsidising property development: renovated on expenses and then rapidly sold. Evading Capital Gains tax.Claiming expenses while living in grace and favour homes:Renovating and furnishing properties when already standing down or resigning..Furnishing of other homes: ( MPs were able to claim for items of furniture that were actually delivered elsewhere).
hi, how can gordon brown be an mp ,,,he never spends anytime in his constituncy why does he get paid ?
all politicians are corrupt ,,,,you should all go