I was pleased to hear the news that Slough now has a full time MP after two years of Tan Dhesi “serving” both Gravesend and Slough.
According to his entry in the Parliamentary Register, he was actually only “working” for Slough residents for 3 days per week whilst being paid a full time MP’s salary. When local Conservative residents unearthed this information and pressed him to respond, he did the right thing by resigning but surely “accountability” requires that he repay the salary which he was drawing as the Slough MP whilst “moonlighting” in Kent.
A quick calculation establishes that for the two years whilst this scheme was in operation, our MP was overpaid approximately £60,000.00 plus expenses and shuttling between Slough, London and Gravesend at the public's expense could have seen an eye watering expenses bill. Tan Dhesi must be required to provide details of his expenses for this period, hopefully the total repayment will be less than £100,000, a much-needed contribution to the public purse.
My experience on the doorstep is that too many residents haven’t had a reply back from their Slough MP, one resident produced an email sent a whole year ago which seems to have been ignored completely. Several residents expressed that they had been waiting for a response for a few months. When they learned of his multiple commitments, the penny dropped that the reason for such delay must obviously have been due to the excessive workload of two constituencies.
Another resident commented that once our MP’s enthusiastic campaigning for local Labour councillors has also been reduced, after the May local elections, perhaps then we can look forward to £80,000 pounds worth of “value for money”, a full time MP!
Local democracy is all about local people having a local voice which is focused on resolving important local residents’ issues. Above all every resident really must vote if local democracy is to work. Otherwise persons of “poor judgement”, who see little wrong in keeping double wages, sneak in and the only way to hold them to account is by first of all voting them out.
Please vote on 2nd of May 2019. It is time to fairly and genuinely serve ALL residents, time for a change.
