Councilbust

 Conservative Southend West MP David Amess’ expenses were published today on a government website.

Mr Amess’ expenses claims forms, invoices and receipts are available for download in PDF format to the general public.

According to his paperwork, Mr Amess claimed exactly £250.00 in petty cash every month in the year 2007-2008, for which he did not have to produce any receipts.

Mr Amess also claimed expenses for a payment of £1,500.00 made to a company called Westminster Consultancy in March 2007 for “research for questions and speeches” according to an invoice.

The invoice contained no details of the address or VAT registration number of Westminster Consultancy, and the company does not appear to have a website.

Mr Amess was not available for comment when CouncilBust.com staff contacted his office earlier today.

Peter Welch, Liberal Democrat candidate for Mr Amess’ seat, told CouncilBust.com of his frustration that some information in Mr Amess’ paperwork has been blocked out with black boxes:

“Taxpayers are furious about the blacked-out non-publication of MPs’ expenses, and David Amess will face more calls for his resignation as a result.

“The long-awaited publication of MPs’ expenses has been an anti-climax so far.

“The things we need to know are obscured by heavy black masking. We are as much in the dark as ever.

“But at least the rules are now in the open, and they will have stunned taxpayers, and most private and public sector employees, used to justifiying all their claims for expenses.

“MPs seem to have the laxest rules imaginable; they don’t need to justify any expense under £250.00.

“They can put in a claim for £400.00 a month for food, with no justification whatsoever.

“In the few instances where a bill is required, they are allowed to censor the details put into the public domain.”

Tom Flynn, the Labour party PPC for Southend West, was told he was “going to die” by a leading member of the BNP last Tuesday.

On 9^th June, BNP leader Nick Griffin was forced to abandon a press conference on College Green in Westminster when protestors organised by Unite Against Fascism pelted him with eggs and chanted “Off our streets, Nazi scum.”

Mr Flynn was involved in another, non-violent demonstration taking place at the same time against the BNP press conference.

Later that day, Mr Flynn was confronted by a group of BNP activists, in the presence of the deputy BNP leader.

A member of the group said to Mr Flynn that they knew where he lived, and that the next time he set foot in Southend he was “going to die.”

In response to criticism that the demonstration against the BNP was stifling free speech, Mr Flynn wrote on the LabourList blog:

“I will engage with the BNP in the normal spirit of political debate once they offer me the same courtesy.

“I will never share a platform with the BNP when doing so risks more of the same death threats I have already received.

“I won’t be intimidated by you and your thugs Mr Griffin.”

Mr Flynn told CouncilBust.com that he gave a statement to the police yesterday, and said that they were taking the matter “quite seriously.”

  The creator of www.planes2009.ning.com, the social networking site for supporters of Southend Airport Expansion, has spoken to CouncilBust.com.

 Keith Terry, an employee of ATC Lasham Ltd at Southend Airport, said he created the social networking site in order to present the other side of the airport expansion case.

 Mr Terry explained that he felt that only the anti-airport expansion view has been explored in the media.

 “Stop Airport Expansion Now (SAEN) had a meeting in Eastwood, and I know quite a lot of people that tried to go and give their view were actually for airport expansion, but lots could not get in as there was not enough room.

 “They only wanted to make a balanced argument. A lot of claims that SAEN make are scaremongering and not really true.

 “I think the airport planners are being honest. The information they are giving, such the noise footprint photograph on the website, and other information, was provided by independent body.

 “It’s all good stuff, we can all do well out of this.”

 Mr Terry decided that an online campaign for the expansion was the best way forward.

 “I chewed it over with a few people because I felt that the positive voice wasn’t out there,” Mr Terry said.

 “We thought ‘we need something’; we thought about committees and things but people that are for [airport expansion] are basically lazy and don’t want to do anything.

 “So the best thing to do was to get them to go to a web page and register that they support the airport.”

 Mr Terry said that since he set up Planes2009, its growth has been surprisingly fast.  

 “It only really started being set up last week,” he said.

 “In the meantime I went to the airport and asked their approval and for facts and figures from them to have the proper information.

 “Someone found [the site] last Monday before it was even finished and people started joining it.

 “[Membership] is up to 50 people, from 38 yesterday.”

 Mr Terry went on to outline the difficulties of gaining support from local businesses, as some fear they will alienate customers who oppose the expansion. He said:

 “I’ve been round and given out some posters about it, but some shops declined to put them up as their customers are anti.”

 Undeterred by this, Mr Terry said he will continue to try to gain support for his campaign in other ways.

 “I was on Southend Radio yesterday, and I’m also going to push it via the Yellow Pages.

 “Hopefully word will spread.”