Transparency and expenses

My Council expenses

In 2009 I pushed to have Edinburgh councillors' detailed expenses accessible online.  Initially my request was refused by the current administration but with the Westminster expenses scandal breaking it was not long before itemised expenses were accessible for each councillor on the Council's webpage. 

That has contributed to a very significant fall in expense claims by councillors from the profligate days of the last Labour administration.    That is not to say councillors should not have expense claims incurred in doing their public duty.  It just means that for some of us there will be very low, or nil expense returns.  My expense page is here.

I am fortunate in living in my ward and close to the City Chambers.  I do travel to meetings and conferences on behalf of the Lothian Pension Fund which is a separate body from the Council, but travel arrangements and occasional accommodation are handled by the LPF.  I seldom have incidental expenses which are worth claiming.